


Cor Aut Mors

by MidnightWriter99



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-11-13
Packaged: 2017-11-18 14:24:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightWriter99/pseuds/MidnightWriter99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commander Garrus Vakarian never expected to wake up, he hadn't expected to work for Cerberus, and he definitely hadn’t expected to find her on Omega. But sometimes things happen a little differently. Fill for the ME Kmeme and for the MEBB 2012.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Art by: [Minque](http://minquette.livejournal.com/)  


**Cor Aut Mors  
**

  
_Garrus's eyes immediately noticed the familiar red-headed human crouched behind the wall of the doctor's office as they entered. A flare of her biotics and single shot of her pistol taking out the leader of Fists men as his team drew their attention, giving her an opening.  The rest followed soon after as they worked together and quickly took them out._   
  
_"Thanks for the distraction." Shepard called back to them as she helped Doctor Michel to her feet. "You alright?"_   
  
_"Yes, thank you." Michel answered, smiling at the Garrus and his team over Shepard's shoulder as well. "All of you."_   
  
_"What happened?" Garrus interjected. "What didn't they want you to tell Officer Shepard?"_   
  
_"I had a quarian come by a few days ago, she'd been shot, but wouldn't tell who did it. I could tell she was scared." The doctor explained. "She asked me about the Shadow Broker, trading information for safety. So I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for him."_   
  
_"Not anymore, he's working for Anderson now." Shepard corrected. "And apparently the Broker is pissed."_   
  
_"He betrayed the Shadow Broker?" Michel exclaimed. "That is… stupid. Even for Fist."_   
  
_"The information." Garrus pressed. "Did it have anything to do with the Geth."_   
  
_"Yes! The Geth!" The doctor confirmed. "That was it."_   
  
_"Thank you, Doctor." Shepard said, smile crossing her face. "Take it easy ok? I'll get some unis watching the clinic and I’ll come by and check on you later."_   
  
_The doctor nodded and they said their goodbyes, Officer Shepard following as they exited the clinic._   
  
_"Take me with you." The officer said as the door closed, eyes locked on his._   
  
_"And why would I do that?" Garrus asked, admiring the humans persistence and wanting to see how long it would last._   
  
_"Spectre Alenko was an outstanding soldier, a good man, and a friend." She explained. "He trained me in biotics when I was still with the military. He didn't deserve to be shot down like a dog. This whole thing isn't right."_   
  
_"She seems like more trouble than she's worth, sir." Sidonis commented from his left, Garrus missed the frown Ashley threw at the other turian, but clearly heard her mumble about how people had said the same about her in the past._   
  
_"I might be a pain in the arse." Shepard countered with a grin. "But I can be a god damn useful one."_   
  
_That was all he needed._   
  
_"Then welcome aboard Shepard."  
_

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
"Hold it."  Archangel called; her pistol now firmly pointed at his forehead "Don't think I didn't notice those pretty little insignias on your suits."  
  
The second the woman spoke Garrus' suspicions were confirmed and he knew exactly who Archangel was.  She still had the same smart mouth that got her in trouble (that was obvious), but she looked leaner now, her stance more firm and practiced - more confident.  
  
It was in that moment that Garrus realised just how much time had passed without him. He didn't even know what she looked like under that helmet anymore.  
  
"Stand down." He called back to his newest companions who reluctantly lowered their weapons, holstering them cautiously.  
  
"Shepard-"  
  
"No." She cut him off. "I'm not completely sure I haven't lost it right now, so-"  
  
"Jane Shepard." He started again. "Former Alliance military and C-Sec, amount of commendations only overshadowed by your disciplinary record-"  
  
"Yeah that's cute, I can recite my service record too." She snapped back.  
  
"Only because-" Garrus pressed, lowering his voice as he leant towards her so the other two couldn't hear. "You can't stand to see others have the same helplessness and fear you felt when the Batarians took you from Mindoir. Gets you into trouble sometimes."  
  
With that the woman finally stopped, no more fighting, no more smart comebacks. She finally set her pistol down beside her sniper rifle and disengaged her helmet, gently lifting it from her head.  
  
Her hair was longer now, tightly tied back in a braid that now fell down to her shoulders. The dark circles around her eyes were what worried him, she looked even more exhausted than she had sounded.  
  
Archangel pushed herself forward, still looking like she was determining if he was real or not. She tentatively put a hand forward, resting against his armour for a second -  
  
Before she drew her hand back and punched him as hard as she could in the face.  
  
"I thought you were _dead_." She yelled as he stumbled back slightly. "We all did. Oh, _God._ "  
  
"Shepard, wait-"  
  
"Fuck, I can't do this." Shepard said brushing past him. "Keep an eye out for the mercs _Cerberus_." She barked at the two other turians before heading out the door and across the hallway.  
  
"Commander-" Mierin warned, flashing Shepard a glare as she stormed out.  
  
"Do it, the second they start to move you tell me." Garrus confirmed for of them. "I've got her."  
  
Mierin and Trenus exchanged an unamused glance but followed their orders, moving to set up near where Shepard had been stationed to watch the mercenaries barricade.  
  
When Garrus found Shepard again she was leaning against the arm of the couch in what looked like the main bedroom, an open med kit on the cupboard beside her, clenching an empty tube of medi-gel between her teeth and she tightly wrapped a bandage around her forearm.  
  
"'m comin' back, ‘kay" Shepard mumbled as she saw him. Spitting out the tube to her left before she continued. "Ran out of supplies in that room a while back."  
  
"How long is ‘a while back'?" Garrus questioned.  
  
"Few days I think." Shepard pondered. "Feels like a week though."  
  
He moved around to grab her discarded piece forearm armour, handing it back to her, earning a nod in thanks from the former officer. He was beginning to sorely regret going looking Professor Solus first.  
  
"What happened here, Shepard?" Garrus asked as she fixed up the bandaging a bit more.  
  
"You know me Commander, always getting myself into trouble."  
  
" _Jane_."  
  
She exhaled heavily as she began to reattach her arm piece. "One of my team, he asked for help on a job - I went to the meeting place and he wasn't there. By the time I got back the mercs had hit here and only two of my team were still alive. They didn't last long. He sold us out and ran." She spat.  
  
He'd heard the rest of Archangels team were killed when they'd been making their way through the set up across the bridge, but Garrus hadn't known that was how the mercs had gotten to them. "I'm sorry, Shepard."  
  
"Don't be. It's my fault. They were here because of me and they died because of me" She said, an angry, bitter tone in her voice he'd never heard before. "I wasn't exactly planning on leaving them here, but then your ugly ass has to show up and ruin all my plans."  
  
Silence lingered between them for a moment, Garrus was still processing how the passionate officer he'd met months, no, years ago - had gone from merely pissing off her superiors to earning a renowned reputation for herself and pissing off every major band of mercenaries in the Terminus systems.  
  
He felt guilty at the surge of pride he felt at the thought of that, while she sitting there ready to greet her death with gunfire and as many mercs as she could bring with her.  
  
"How did you get off the Normandy?" Shepard finally asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.  
  
"I didn't," he said quietly. "I got knocked out after getting Joker into the escape pod. Airline broke. Next thing I know I wake up in a space station, hell if I know where it was, and find out Cerberus spent two years putting me back together"  
  
He waited as his words finally registered for the tired human. "You're not joking are you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Only you could die and live to tell about it." Shepard drawled, the familiar smug grin he knew all too well finally appearing on her face. "Can you pass me the stim please? Should be one left in there." She asked, leaning her hands against her legs to keep herself upright as he rummaged around in the kit for a moment before pulling out the item.  
  
She gave him a small smile as he handed it over, not a moment passing before she clicked it open and drove it straight through her under suit and into her thigh.  
  
"We have a few ways out on the basement level." Shepard explained. "If the mercs haven't discovered them yet I might be able to get you and your squad out of here."  
  
"Not an option." Garrus objected.  
  
"You have the option to stop being stubborn." She refuted.  
  
"Jane." He said, resting his hands on her shoulders, resisting the urge to shake some sense into her. "We're going after the collectors. I need you on my team; I need someone I trust if I‘m walking into hell."  
  
"Commander-"  
  
" _I_ need you."  
  
Garrus felt like he was in a staring competition with the woman for a few moments as her desire to be left with the remains of her team vanished, replaced with a fiery determination with a side of pissed off knowing she just got talked out of it. "You know this has me walking into hell too, right?"  
  
"Right now I need you walking _out_ of this particular hell." Garrus explained.  
Shepard bit her lip as the stims started to kick in, beginning to figure out exactly how to do that.  
  
"Ah, _fuck it_." She grumbled before pushing herself back up and stalking back towards to front of the building, Garrus following close behind.  
  
"I hope you can shoot and listen at the same time, Cerberus." Shepard announced to Mierin and Trenus as she walked back into the front room. "Because we have a lot of work to do."

 

  
_\-------------------------_

  
  
Shepard had insisted the best strategy would be to take the mercs out wave by wave, keeping the advantage they still had in the building and Garrus was inclined to agree with her. She had switched back over to her prized sentry visor now, helmet kicked aside and resting near Garrus’s position near her as they continued to open fire on the Eclipse.  
  
"Think you can hold them without me for a minute?" She called to Garrus who was a few feet down from her.  
  
"Yes." He said back quickly. "What do you need to do?"  
  
"Have to disengage the explosives I've got set in the buildings structure." She explained as she brought up her omni-tool rapidly typing away.  
  
"You have the building rigged?" Mierin yelled at her. "Are you mad?"  
  
Shepard ignored her for a moment as the omni-tool on her arm flashed three times and disappeared.  
  
"What they'll do if they get me alive?" She said to the turian. "I would rather be good and dea- oh _fuck_ "  
  
She pulled up her rifle once more, aiming it for the YMIR mech that was being dropped just outside the barricade.  
  
"Don't shoot." Garrus warned. "Just watch."  
  
Shepard could barely contain her excitement when the YMIR turned right back around and started decimating the Eclipse stronghold on the bridge as they picked off any survivors.  
  
"Vakarian. You, me, marriage." She laughed. "It's happening."  
  
"I also took out the batarian fixing the Suns gunship." He added with a grin.  
  
"Fuck that gunship." Shepard said through gritted teeth. "I already took it out once, that was enough."  
  
They all lurched suddenly as the building shook.  
  
"Guess they found the basement level entrances." Garrus remarked. "Can you shut them back down?"  
  
She was tapping away at her omni-tool assessing the damage. "Manually yes, from here - no."  
  
Garrus looked between the three of them before speaking again. "Mierin, with me. Trenus you stay here and keep her alive."  
  
"I don't need a babysitter, you don't know how many will be down there." Shepard countered as he motioned for the other female to follow him.  
  
"Alive, Trenus." The Commander called back down the hall, ignoring Shepards objections.

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
"So, Cerberus -"  
  
"My name is Trenus, ma'am." The turian corrected, mandibles tight against his face in annoyance.  
  
"Cerberus." She repeated, picking off another vorcha on the lower floor with her rifle. "How did you bring him back?"  
  
She unloaded another string of rounds from her mantis as Trenus lobbed a grenade to the lower level. Scattering the vermin and blowing a few to hell.  
  
"And space magic isn't an answer, by the way."  
  
"Look." The disgruntled turian growled. "I was head of security. I don't know the details."  
  
Shepard cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know enough to answer my question though I'd bet."  
  
They both paused, focusing their fire on the varren making their way to the stairs. "All I know is that they recovered Commander Vakarians body and spent the last two years regenerating and reanimating as much as possible him as possible, supplementing the rest with cybernetics."  
  
"Has Cerberus done this before?" She inquired.  
  
"As far as I know it's the first time anyone's done what project Lazarus did. It's not exactly an inexpensive venture."  
  
"Define inexpensive."  
  
Trenus shook his head. "Billions."  
  
"But what does- shit!" Shepard swore as an explosion rocked the building, a familiar Krogan appearing in her field of vision. "Garrus, we've got Garm and a fuckload of vorcha coming in up here."  
  
 _"The doors are secure, we'll be there."_  
  
Shepard reloaded and concentrated fire on the Krogan. She'd expected Jaroth, and Garm and the Suns.  
  
But within the next ten minutes she realised she hadn't expected to see Tarak and the gunship.

  _  
_

_\-------------------------_

   
  
"You need to stop, Commander." Joker complained as Garrus continued to pace around the cockpit, it was a few hours after the ships night cycle had started and Joker was one of the few left awake.  
  
"They've been in there for hours, I'm going crazy." He still couldn't get the image of Jane's motionless, blood soaked body out of his mind. He'd showered hours ago and could still smell it.  
  
"And now you're driving me crazy." Joker said. "I've been... _monitoring_ the med-bay for info. She was out of critical hours ago." He decided not to mention the two minutes about six hours ago where Shepard had flat lined "She'll be up and about in no time, go get some sleep or something."  
  
"And when do you ever sleep?" Garrus countered. "We're out of here tomorrow, and you're starting to look like you need it."  
  
"You always had the nicest ways of telling others they look like crap." Joker said back. "Also, I've transcended the need for sleep."  
  
"Still full of shit then, Joker?"  
  
The two spun around at the additional voice, to find Jane Shepard walking slowly into the cockpit.  
  
"Told you, Commander." Joker said smugly to the turian.  
  
"Now, I know the scarring's going to be hot, at least by Krogan standards I think."  
Shepard said with a small grin, taking a place beside Garrus. "But I can't have you talking behind my back about my good looks again Jeff."  
  
"Good thing he's not a krogan then." Garrus interjected. Earning a snort of laughter from each of the humans.  
  
Shepard groaned. "Fuck you, my face is barely holding together right now."  
  
"I can't stop imagining a krogan flying my baby." Joker groaned. "It's not on the list of things that make me happy."  
  
"It's not pornographic enough to make the list of shit that makes you happy-"  
  
"Commander." EDI interrupted. "Doctor Chakwas is requesting Officer Shepard's location."  
  
Shepard just shrugged at Jokers whisper of _'busted'._  
  
"Tell her I'll bring Jane back down now, EDI" Garrus replied, the blue orb disappearing after. "Joker, finish up and go the hell to bed or I'll be back to physically remove you myself. You-" He added, turning to Shepard. "With me."  
  
Shepard attempted a mock salute, only to find herself groaning in pain as it pulled at some of the stitches holding her together. Garrus just shook his head and lightly placed an arm around her good shoulder steering her back towards the elevator.  
  
"So, the uh, AI is… nice." Shepard commented slowly.  
  
"It's an interesting addition to the ship, that's for sure." Garrus replied, choosing his words carefully.  
  
"Can't say I'm going to complain about the ship or the whole… Project Lazarus thing but-" Shepard continued, giving him a small smile.  
  
“How do you know about that already?” Garrus questioned.  
  
“I grilled Trenus while you were off fixing the doors.” She replied a smirk quickly flashing across her face. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the funds Cerberus, or the Spectre, I guess, poured into all this."  
  
"You and I both."

_\-------------------------_

  
  
_The glow of the room was a deep red, filtering in through the small horizontal gap that constituted for a window at the back of the sparse viewing platform._   
  
_Garrus had run into Cerberus operatives and operations on numerous occasions when they'd been searching the galaxy for Anderson. Some had been sick, well past the border of cruel - others had been sloppy, complete messes when they'd gone in to shut them down._   
  
_Garrus had been curious as to how the inconsistencies happened, he'd had suspicions that Cerberus and the two of its apparently three remaining heads were far bigger, widespread and resourceful than any of them had first thought._   
  
_Perhaps there'd been a change in management while he'd been dead. The turian counterpart, the Spectre, he was there. The human - the Illusive Man, he recalled, was nowhere to be seen._   
  
_"Commander Vakarian." The holo of a turian with his back turned to Garrus greeted him. "I trust you've been briefed on the situation."_   
  
_"I have." Garrus replied slowly. "The Collectors are going after remote colonies outside of council space."_   
  
_"Correct."_   
  
_"Do we have confirmation that it's them, or that they're working with the Reapers?" Garrus prodded. Mierin had given him a detailed rundown on their Intel and suspicions on the way there, but that wasn't enough._   
  
_"No." The turian answered again. "You will be leaving for Freedoms Progress momentarily. The colony has gone silent, you need to go in and investigate before the humans show up-"_   
  
_"I don't work for you, Spectre." Garrus interjected. His tolerance for taking orders like a good, compliant turian from these people had worn itself thin._   
  
_The Spectre finally turned to face him, looking almost demonic with the thin red glow illuminating the outline of his sharp body. "You will work with me, Vakarian."_   
  
_"Why?" he practically yelled. "You could have financed an entire army for what you spent to bring me back." Garrus said, recalling the logs he'd seen on that station, finally unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Why me?"_   
  
_The Spectre just smiled at him with a quick flare of his mandibles._   
  
_"Victory." He said simply. "At any cost."_


	2. Chapter 2

  
  
_"Christ." Shepard swore as she jumped out of the Mako. "I knew it would be hot but-"_  
  
 _Garrus laughed from behind her as she pulled the hair that fell at the sides of her face and forehead and tied it back. "I thought Palavan was hot, but Therum definitely beats it."_  
  
 _"Aliens." Wrex scoffed. "Can't handle a little heat."_  
  
 _"Fuck you, Wrex." Shepard called back; he could see the grin on her face as she turned back towards the team._  
  
 _"You have a face under there after all, Officer." Garrus prodded her._  
  
 _"Hilarious." Shepard replied sarcastically. "Have a problem with my hair, sir?"_  
  
 _"No." Garrus replied. "I just don't understand why you have the back shorter and the front longer when you have to push it out of the way anyway."_  
  
 _"Because." Shepard started. "One, it would look incredibly stupid the other way around on me, and second there's less at the back for anyone to grab a hold of." She drove home her point by trying to grab a handful of hair from the back of her head and barely managing it. “Besides, I like my fringe.”_  
  
 _Tali let out a laugh from beside her. “Shepard, you don’t have a fringe.”_  
  
 _“The piece of hair that goes across my forehead.” Shepard explained. “Is called a fringe.”_  
  
 _“Now that is weirder than the whole hair thing all together.” Garrus prodded her as they continued to make their way from the Mako._  
  
 _“It’s ok Commander, not everyone can have beautiful fringe.” Shepard chimed in. “Your obvious jealousy is almost endearing.”_  
 _Garrus stopped for a moment, checking the area scan before raising his brow plates at the human. “Did you just call me ugly, Shepard?”_  
  
 _Before she could wipe the grin off her face and speak, Wrex momentarily winded her with a slap on the back. “It’s about time someone said it.”_

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“You know, I thought it might be nice coming back here.” Shepard said to the Commander as they finally cleared through C-Sec. “But it hasn’t changed. Still the same old shit.”  
  
“Just like the rest of the galaxy.” Jack commented airily from behind them. After the last few weeks Garrus was almost inclined to agree with her.  
  
“Don’t get into too much trouble.” Garrus told them as he finally spotted a rapid transport. “I don’t want to be bailing the two of you out of C-Sec in a few hours.”  
  
Shepard just laughed over Jacks unimpressed string of swears in his direction.  “Remember, just give us a call if you need any backup.” She reminded him.  
  
“It’s just Orinia, Jane.” Garrus said. “And Captain Kryik, I believe.”  
  
Shepard cocked an eyebrow at him. “Captain’s always pulling your leathery arse out of the fire.”  
  
“It’s usually for a good reason.”  
  
“Can we fucking _go_?” Jack interrupted from behind them. “I left the ship to get shit, not to listen to you two assholes be cute. It’s disgusting.”  
  
Shepard just snorted a laugh before turning back to their new team member. “Catch you later, Commander. Don’t forget about finding Goto either.” She waved a haphazard salute before ushering Jack towards the wards. “You’re like a baby, Jack. A hungry, _angry,_ baby.”  
  
  
Garrus shook his head as he watched Jane duck the half-assed punch Jack threw at her arm and made his way to the transport.

  _  
_

_\-------------------------_

   
For the first time in weeks Garrus had a moment to sit and breathe as the Wards passed him by.  
  
It hadn't exactly been the smoothest start to a mission.  
  
Grunt had been doing fine after being let out of the tank, Jack had warmed up after she’d started talking to Jane (and drinking with Zaeed down in engineering, he suspected) and Mordin was well – Mordin.  
  
He had known Jane wasn't - and wouldn't be the same after Omega, let alone whatever else had happened over the past two years - but it had been the early hours of the morning after he'd taken her back to the med bay that confirmed it for him.  
  
 _Shepard convulsed, letting out a short shout as Mordin tried to give her another dose of pain medication._  
  
 _"Jane." Garrus said sternly. "Mordin's not going to hurt you."_  
  
 _She'd stopped thrashing at the sound of his voice, head turning and glassy eyes looking at him. "Garrus?" She was completely out of it from whatever Mordin had given her earlier. She’d gotten less lucid as time had gone by. It was just a temporary side effect - he’d said._  
  
 _"I'm here."  He replied, grabbing her other hand, distracting her as Mordin worked._  
  
 _"Garrus." She said again, tears beginning to stream down her face, breathing increasing. "'m sorry. I'm so sorry."_  
  
 _"Distress inadvisable at this time." Mordin interjected quickly._  
  
 _"You don't have anything to be sorry for Jane." He told her again. "I need you to take a deep breath ok?"_  
  
 _She just shook her head. "Never should have left, wasn't there Garrus, I wasn't there!"_  
  
 _Garrus felt a sickening twist in his stomach as he finally realised what she was talking about. "There was nothing anyone could have done."_  
  
 _She didn't reply this time, wrenching her other hand free from Mordin and placed it over her face as she continued to cry._  
  
 _"You done, Mordin?" Garrus asked the Salarian quietly as he bustled around the med bay._  
  
 _"All medications administered." Mordin confirmed. "Sedative should take affect soon, keep her calm - will be back in a few hours." He nodded and Mordin left him with his crying friend, he'd given up on telling Garrus to get some sleep hours ago._  
  
 _Jane’s quiet sobs filling the med bay was worse than the silence he’d previously had to rethink over the events of the day, the gross amount of red blood that had smeared his armour, soaked his under suit and dripped across the halls of the Normandy in their race to save her._  
  
 _Garrus glanced at the bed once more before deciding to take a chance, remembering what Jane had done the week Tali had ended up with a suit puncher and a good case of the flu combined with homesickness while she recovered in the med bay._  
  
 _He walked to the side of her bed, gently shifted her over slightly and climbed in next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she rested her head against his shoulder._  
  
 _“Everyone’s dead.” She choked out._  
  
 _“You’re not dead. I’m not dead. Neither is Joker or Chakwas.” He replied. “Wrex, Liara, Lantar – they’re all fine. I ran into Tali the other day too.”_  
  
 _“Lonely.” She murmured. “Normandy wasn’ lonely.”_  
  
 _“No.” Garrus confirmed. “It was never lonely on the Normandy.”_  
  
 _‘Of course it wasn’t.’ He thought a little bitterly._  
  
 _The Normandy SR-1 had been home._  
  
Garrus was brought back to reality by the sudden jolt as his transport came to a stop. He pushed down the nerves in his stomach and headed towards the embassies. The Council was waiting.

   
 _\-------------------------_

   
“Spirits be damned.”  
  
Garrus nodded at his former Captain, unable to stop himself from grinning. “Good to see you, sir.”  
  
“Have to say, I didn’t quite believe the reports.” Nihlus said to him as he ushered Garrus into the offices of the turian embassy.  
  
“This is about as weird for you as it is for me, Captain.”  
  
“I look forward to the full story.” Nihlus replied, stopping him just before the main room. “Orinia’s been stalling them, so don’t be surprised if she chews you up and spits you out after.”  
  
“She loves me.” Garrus muttered back as the door hissed open in front of him, Nihlus close behind.  
  
Orinias gaze immediately turned to the door when she heard it, the four holograms on the consoles looking towards him as well.  
  
“Vakarian.” Orinia addressed him, displeasure clear on her face. “Nice of you to join us.”  
  
“We’ve heard some unsettling rumours about your return Commander.” Sparatus had the same accusatory tone in his voice Garrus knew all too well.  
  
“However,” Tevos interrupted, “you saved our lives during Battle with Anderson and the geth, and we owe you the chance to explain your actions.”  
  
Garrus paused, he’d been thinking about just how much, or how little he could get away with telling the Council.    
  
“I don’t know all the details, but Cerberus recovered my body after the Normandy went down, I only woke up about a week ago.” Garrus explained as vaguely as he could. “The collectors are active in the Terminus systems, predominantly harvesting turian and human colonies.”  
  
"The Councils jurisdiction does not extend to the Terminus systems." Sparatus cut in. "You know this Vakarian. As do all the colonists who choose to settle in the Terminus."  
  
"I do know, but you're misunderstanding my point." Garrus continued. "The human colonies have small amounts of defences, maybe some have military training or ex-Alliance personnel on world. The turian outposts, they're all trained. They have weapons, ships."  
  
He glanced to the side, Orinia with a questioning look on her face as they all waiting to see where he was going. "Yet they all end up the same, no survivors, and no bodies. Like no one was ever there.”  
  
The council was quiet for a moment, the human ambassador, now councillor, quieter than Garrus had ever seen him. “Tell me that doesn't bother you in the slightest."  
He knew, Garrus thought, he had to have heard about the disappearances.  
  
"You put us in a difficult position, Vakarian." Varlen said. "You're working with Cerberus, an avowed enemy of the council. Such an act could be considered treason-"  
  
"Excuse me." Orinia cut it. "None of you would be here if Commander Vakarian hadn't stepped up two years ago and saved every single one of you. I won’t stand here while you whitewash everything he's done."  
  
Orinias objection silenced them once more. Tevos looked between the others before speaking. "While we cannot offer our official support, we would be willing to reinstate your Spectre status as a show of good faith."  
  
"If you restrict your movements to the Terminus systems." Varlen added.  
  
With a quick nod from Orinia he stepped forward. "I accept your offer Councillors."  
  
"Then we wish you luck in your investigation, as well as a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus." Tevos concluded.  
  
"So do I." Garrus replied before the holograms disappeared.  
  
He looked back towards Nihlus, the amused look on the turians face more than apparent.  
  
"The whole story, Commander" Orinia said, turning to him. "I want it now."

 

_\-------------------------_

 

Shepard hadn't sat down and just looked at the Citadel for a long time. She hadn't just sat down and looked at anything in awhile.  
  
It was still the same, ships coming and going, the colourful haze over the sweeping view of lights and buildings in the distance.  They were docked in almost the same place the SR-1 had been, except now these were the old docks, the newer ones had been relocated in the partial rebuild.  
  
"Enjoying the view?" Shepard looked back to see Garrus approaching the railing, taking a seat beside her, legs dangling off the platform next to hers.  
  
"Just spending some time outside while I can." Shepard replied. "You kept me on ship lockdown for too long."  
  
"Well, last thing I'd want is for you to go ship crazy." He grinned at her. "You're unbearable as it is."  
  
"Thanks." Shepard replied, lightly kicking his leg with her own. "How did it go?"  
  
"Better than expected, they may not want to exactly know about it but they reinstated my Spectre status." Garrus explained. "And because of that Orinia can call in some favours and legitimately keep the Hierarchy off us"  
  
"Fuck." Shepard swore, pushing her hair back out of her face. "I mean, I know you can essentially talk your way in or out of anything but that's impressive."  
  
"I think Nihlus and Orinia did a lot of work on my behalf." Garrus confessed.  
  
"How are they?" Shepard asked.  
  
"They're good, the Captain, he-" Garrus stopped; he still was still trying to digest this news.  
  
"Garrus?" Shepard nudged him. "What happened?"  
  
"He told me my mother died a year and a half ago." He finally said. "I knew she wasn't getting any better but it still feels like-"  
  
"Like someone punched you in the gut and pulled the floor out from under you?" Shepard added in an attempt to console him.  
  
"Something like that." Garrus agreed. “It still feels like it’s been two weeks, not two years.”  
  
Shepard hesitated for a moment, but reached over and took his hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. “I’m so sorry, Garrus.”  
  
“Me too.” He professed, letting her hand go as they settled back into a momentary silence.  
  
"Have you spoken to your sister yet?" Shepard asked quietly.  
  
"Spoken to your brother recently." He countered.  
  
"I sent him a message yesterday." She replied. "So no, you can't pot-kettle-black me on this one."  
  
He exhaled loudly and rested his hands back onto the railing in front of him. "No, Nihlus said she was on assignment and he'd let me know when she was back in Council space."  
  
"She's back in the Blackwatch?" Shepard asked. The first and last time she had seen Solana Vakarian was at the memorial service on the Citadel after the Normandy had gone down.  
  
“Apparently. It’s all classified information that won’t get told to a formerly dead Spectre on a Cerberus ship.”  
  
Shepard bit down on her lower lip as she realised she just might have an idea, but he was right, Cerberus ship, Cerberus surveillance.  
  
“Wait.” Garrus turned to her, brow plates contracted in confusion. Her service to the Watch had actually been far better concealed than his own. “How do you know about that? It’s not exactly public knowledge.”  
  
“I met her once.” Shepard answered vaguely. “Don’t put off calling her.”  
  
“What am I meant to say, Jane?” Garrus exclaimed. “Hi, sorry I haven’t been here, I was dead for the past two years, but how’re you?”  
  
“Look.” Shepard started. “She’ll be angry and probably confused as hell for a while but she will be far, _far_ more hurt if you leave calling her for months and she finds out everything through the Hierarchy.”  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
“Because if you hadn’t found me on that shithole space station and just never bothered to send a hello my way? I’d be so goddamn angry.” She almost yelled back, an exasperated look tossed in his direction. “And this is your _sister._ ”  
  
“Alright, alright.” He caved. “I’ll talk to her when she’s back.”  
  
 _“Commander.”_ Joker’s voice cut in over their comms. _“Your new team member’s on board along with the rest of the crew and our supplies.”_  
  
“Time to go, then.” Shepard commented as Garrus thanked the pilot and got up from their spot at the edge of the platform. “Garrus, are you-”  
  
“I’m fine.” He cut her off. “But let’s find something to go shoot sooner rather than later.”  
  
The devious grin she shot him was the only answer he needed.

_\-------------------------_

   
 _"You've got to be Shepard." Jane looked up to see a turian with very familiar marking on her face looking down at her. "I knew it, just had to look for the blinding red hair."_  
  
 _"Solana, right?" Shepard reached out and shook the turians hand as she nodded and took a seat beside her. "Who tipped you off?"_  
  
 _"Garrus talked about you all a lot when he actually remembered to send me a vid mail." She explained. "He was really proud of all of you, it was nice to see."_  
  
 _Shepard looked away as the waterworks she'd been holding back all day started to prick in the corners of her eyes._  
  
 _"They told me what happened, the pilot as well." She continued "There was nothing he hated more than leaving people behind. He got himself into all kinds of trouble over the years with that mentality, but it's why they never really pulled him up on it either, too many came back alive for them to complain and - I'm… talking too much aren't I?"_  
  
 _"No, you're not. I'm sorry, I'm good." Shepard breathed in deeply and sat back again. "I feel like this should be the other way around."_  
  
 _“Shepard, my little brother is dead, my mother is dying and my father won’t talk about any of it. I don’t get to grieve yet because I have to hold what’s left of my family together.” The turian explained. “I was meant to visit the Citadel before the Normandy left, but things just got out of hand at home and-”_  
  
 _For the first time she saw a slump in the other woman’s posture. It was all taking a toll. “I should have come anyway.”_  
  
 _“You’re not the only one wishing they’d done things differently.” Shepard commented, she’d been trying to pinpoint exactly when everything had gone to complete shit._  
  
 _“You know he put your name forward for the Spectres?” Solana asked her suddenly, she gave her a simple nod in response. “Will you take the training?”_  
  
 _“No, I can’t… stay here anymore.” Shepard told her. “The Council is already burying us under paperwork, they already re-assigned the crew that’s left two days ago, and the Reapers apparently don’t exist.”_  
  
 _"Before my mother got sick I was in special military operations." Solana told her, a glint of determination in her eyes. "I have a few friends in interesting places, so while the Council may try and bury everything my brother tried to put out there, there will be those of us who won't forget that the Reapers are coming."_

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

  
_Garrus groaned as he came to. That barefaced son of a bitch had blown half the cavern to hell._   
  
_He pulled himself out of the rubble, quickly scanning the area for his team. He moved quickly to the left pulling Sidonis to his feet._   
  
_“What’s the damage?” Garrus asked._   
  
_“Nothing major, I don’t think.” Sidonis assessed as he moved his head from side to side, quickly stretching his limbs as Garrus spotted the familiar white and pink armour that belonged to Ashley as she got to her feet._   
  
_“You check her over.” Garrus ordered the turian as he went to jump the small pile of rocks to the other side of the room. There was one person left._   
  
_He immediately saw Shepard lying on the ground in front of the nuke, propped up on her arms as her fingers ran over the interface. He moved closer, seeing her arms give the occasional shake as she worked, there was something definitely wrong there._   
  
_“Shepard.” He said quietly. “Finish that, and then you’re done.”_   
  
_She didn’t reply with anything but a short nod of her head. He readied himself at the second panel, quickly calling to Sidonis and Ashley before Shepard finished her section, the interface turning green and allowing him to access the next one._   
  
_Two more sections diffused and he finally exhaled with relief._   
  
_Garrus gave the nuke one last scan with his omni-tool before turning back to see Sidonis and Ashley leaning Shepard up against some of the flatter rubble, a loud exclamation of swears echoing through the half collapsed cavern as they appeared to pop her shoulder back into place._   
  
_“How the fuck-” Shepard seethed. “Do you know that asshole?”_   
  
_“Technically, it’s classified.” Garrus replied, earning a groan from Ashley and an unamused cough from Sidonis._   
  
_“Let’s just say whatever he had left after the Skyllian Blitz didn’t last long.” He clarified. “And that nice big scar on his face plates is from me.”_   
  
_“So he got a two for one today.” Ashley groaned as they hauled Shepard back onto her feet. “He wanted you and got Hero of the Skillian Blitzes little sister.”_   
  
_“Siblings, right?” Shepard grimaced. “On a planet in the middle of fucking nowhere and he’s still a pain in my arse.”_

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
The Normandy had settled into a quiet rhythm after their side trip to Pragia. Jack was even starting to be seen outside of the engineering deck during day shift hours.  
  
Kasumi was nowhere to be seen half the time but she was _everywhere_ and knew about everything. Garrus was also quite sure that Jack was the one teaching Grunt the new phrases that he'd started to use.  
  
"Commander." EDIs voice echoed through his cabin. "There's an urgent call from The Spectre in the conference room."  
  
"I'll be right down." Garrus replied, quickly making his way to the elevator and down through the CIC.  
  
"Where's the fucking fire?" Jack called as he walked through the armoury, Jane and Trenus looked up from their respective work as she got their attention.  
  
"I'm about to find out."  
  
The conference room went dark as he entered, the table folding down into the floor bringing up the familiar holographic projection.  
  
"Vakarian." The Spectre greeted him, the same red glow illuminating the viewing platform as the last time Garrus had spoken with him. "The collectors have just hit a another human colony. Horizon.”  
  
Garrus crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side."Are you sure it's them?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
It was always the same, Garrus thought. _‘Here take this. Yes. No. Go do it.’_  
  
"Joker." Garrus called a little louder. "Set a course for Horizon."  
  
The Spectre gave him a quick grin. "I hope you've kept Professor Solus working hard."  
Garrus didn't even have time for a comeback as the channel was disconnected. He quickly retreated back to the hallway and into the laboratory.  
  
"Mordin." Garrus called. "Tell me you have something to stop those seeker swarms."  
  
The salarian looked up from his terminal, giving him a grin and moving over to another table, pulling up the schematics for a small device. "Yes."  
  
"How many can you have ready in an hour?" Garrus pressed as Mordin bustled back around the lab.  
  
"Three. Hm. No." Mordin rattled off. "Four, send assistance and can have four. Will have to install straight into suits."  
  
"You've got it." Garrus confirmed. ''You do whatever you need to to have them ready."  
  
Mordin nodded and turned back to work as Garrus left, swinging back around into the armoury.  
  
"Trenus." He said, grabbing the younger turians attention. "Go help Mordin, whatever he needs."  
  
The younger turian gave him a quick nod and headed straight through into the other room. "You two." He continued, turning to Shepard and Jack. "You need to be suited up and back in Mordin's lab in the next fifteen minutes."  
  
"The hells happened?" Shepard asked, quickly starting to put the parts of her visor she was working on back together.  
  
"Collectors are processing a human colony." Garrus explained. "We are going to intercept them."  
  
"Oh, this day just got better." Jack grinned, clipping the pieces of her gun back into place.  
  
"EDI" Garrus called out again. "Tell Mierin I want her suited up as well."  
  
Jacks grinned disappeared quickly before Shepard ushered her back towards the door.  
  
"A powerhouse of guns and biotics." Shepard grinned. "The collectors won't know what hit them."

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
Shepard bit down on her lip as she tried to get her visor to reboot for the fifth time. Their shuttle was quickly approaching the planets surface and she was running out of time.  
  
"Hit it again." Garrus prodded from the seat across from her. "That'll definitely do it."  
  
 _Smug fucker._  
  
"Not all of us leave upgrading these things by the wayside." Shepard shot back.  
  
"I don't sleep. I only upgrade.”  
  
"Sure you- fucking got it." She finally exhaled, putting the visor on as it lit up before her eyes.  
  
"Stat check on Jack for me?"  
  
"Fuck off." Jack snarled back at her.  
  
Garrus grinned and read off the numbers. "135, 80, 75."  
  
She adjusted her visor, grinning smugly back at him."Then I'm good to go."  
  
"Just in time." Mierin commented as the shuttle slowed and the hatch hissed opened.  
  
"Keep low when we hit the ground." Garrus instructed. "And hope that the new editions to our suits work."  
  
"Fucking fantastic." Jack grumbled sarcastically as they all jumped out of the shuttle one after the other.  
  
"We're groundside." Garrus said with a quick activation of his comms. "I damn well hope these work, Mordin."  
  
" _Experimental technology. Only way to test is contact with seeker swarms._ " The professor reiterated to all of them. " _Looking forward to seeing if you survive._ "  
  
Shepard sent a nervous glance to the swarms flying low above them. "Yeah, me too."  
  
"They're going to be the least of our problems." Garrus continued. "Jack, Mierin, up front. Shepard -"  
  
"You got it." She flashed him a grin and unloaded her sniper rifle from her back, falling a few steps back behind the others.  
  
It was dead quiet, nothing alive nor dead in sight besides the seeker swarms flying in the air above them.  
  
"Take cover, we've got Collectors incoming." Garrus called, the four of them dashing behind cover.  
  
Shepard ducked around past a few more crates, taking a quick look at the field before reading her rifle. Definitely no concussive rounds today.  
  
She carefully listened to the chatter of the others over their comms. Mierin and Jack were wrecking any Collectors in reach with their biotics, she and Garrus would be lucky if anything was left for them.  
  
"Good job, move up."  
  
They swept through another section of buildings, it was all the same thing - like everyone had just gotten up and left. Just as Mierin and Garrus had described the other colonies.  
  
“Holy shit.” Shepard exclaimed as they came across their first and only corpse so far.  
  
“Husks.” Garrus affirmed.  
  
“Is this what’s left of the colonists?” Mierin questioned, prodding the body with her foot.  
  
“Can’t be.” Shepard shook her head. “They use dragons teeth to turn them into husks.”  
  
“And we haven’t seen any.” Garrus continued. “They must have brought these with them, they’re more evolved from the ones I first saw on Eden Prime.”  
  
“So they’re taking the colonists alive.” Jack interjected. “Why?”  
  
“That’s what we need to find out.” Garrus told her. “Let’s go.”  
  
They keep sweeping forwards through the buildings, finally coming across the colonists that were left - frozen in stasis, pods scattered near them.  
  
And the Collectors not far behind.  
  
The four of them fell back into cover. Mierin and Jack the furthest out leaving Garrus and Shepard between them to concentrate fire on the new barrage of Collectors.  
  
They took a few out, heads exploding in a mess of flesh as Shepard finished them off with her rifle.  
  
"The fuck is that!" Jack exclaimed as one of the Collectors who had just flown down to their ground level seemed to ignite, almost like it was on fire.  
  
 _"Assuming direct control of this form."_  
  
Shepards eyes widened as she watched it unleash a ball of hot energy, sending it in their direction. If any of them were hit they'd take some major damage but it didn't bother with her. Or Mierin. Or Jack.  
  
It aimed straight for the Commander. Again and again and they worked to take it down along with all the other Collectors on the field  
  
“I think it likes you, Commander.” Shepard cracked, the last Collector finally falling to her rifle.  
  
Garrus grimaced at the new scorch marks on his armour.  “I’m not sure the feelings quite mutual.”  
  
“Door up on the right.” Mierin said, her omni-tool bright as she scanned the area. “We should be able to hack through.”  
  
Shepards arm lit up as she placed the now compacted rifle onto its position on her back. “Door, meet omni-tool.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
They had stripped their way through more Collector forces before the team finally reached the tower controls.  
  
Garrus moved forward this time, pulling up the interface and quickly deactivating the security on the console. “Normandy, do you copy?”  
  
Shepard let out a momentary sigh of relief as Joker answered, his voice coming through to them, the slight sound of static distorting his voice.  
  
“EDI, can you get the defense towers online?” Garrus asked.  
  
 _“The errors in in the calibrations software are easily rectified, but it will take time to get the towers to full power.”_ EDI Informed them.  
  
Shepard raised an eyebrow at Jack when the other woman nudged her.“You spend all day calibrating giant guns, right? Get on that shit.” She said as EDI continued on.  
  
“There’s a lot more here than just a javelin.” Mierin commented from her other side.  
  
Shepard nodded. “Until we get the Thanix installed at least.”  
  
“Should be soon” Mierin told her. “Just waiting for the Commanders confirmation.”  
  
“I’ll remind him later.” Shepard replied. “We need that gun,”  
  
Jack snorted a laugh. “Yeah, _that’s_ the gun you need.”  
  
“We’ve got forces incoming.” Garrus interrupted before either Shepard or Mierin could respond. Each of them falling back into position as the picked the best defensive position. Open courtyards were always the best, Shepard thought.  
  
Always the biggest pain in the arse.  
  
“You’re best friend is back.” Shepard called over the gunfire as another Collector lit up. It’s voice getting louder as it moved closer.  
  
 _“There is no pain. There is no fear.”_  
  
“Afraid it’s trying to take your spot, Jane?” He said back as the three women slammed the Collector with their biotics.  
  
“You couldn’t replace me if you tried.” She grinned, firing off another shot.  
  
“Husks on the right!” Mierin yelled, Jack making a quick turn and sending out a shockwave to obliterate some of the onslaught. The others picked off with a quick succession of bullets.  
  
The battlefield was sent into a lull again as EDI updated them on the towers status.  
  
“Reinforcements.” Garrus mused. “It’s nice to be noticed.”  
  
“The _fuck_ is that.” Jack cried, diving into cover with the others.  
  
For once Mierin mirrored Jacks shocked expression. “It’s massive.”  
  
“Are those _heads_?”  
  
Shepard wanted to cover her ears as the creature let out a deafening cry, a beam of energy hitting their cover.  
  
The second it ceased they broke, each heading in a different direction as they’d practiced, a hail of biotics and bullets raining down on it before they all ducked into conver once more, repeating the cycle again and again as they wore it down.  
  
The enormous creature was getting ready to fire once more, the blue energy crackling around it entwined with the yellow glow of the particle beam Garrus was sending straight into it again. There was no way it could take much more.  
  
The energy kept growing, the creature obviously on the verge of firing again.  
  
And Garrus wasn’t taking cover.  
  
“Son of a bitch.” Shepard swore. “Cover me!” She called to the other two, throwing a wave of biotics at the husks in her path and running as fast as she could towards the Commander.  
  
She crashed straight into him at full speed sending them both rocketing to the ground as the beam hit. The screeches of the creature deafening them once more.    
  
 _‘That had better mean it’s dead.‘_ Shepard thought as she pushed herself back from the armoured turian, giving him a shove as she did so. “Did Cerberus remove your memory of how to fucking duck.”  
  
“Apparently I have _you_ to do it for me.”  
  
Shepards mouth gaped open in shock at him. “You weren’t _moving._ ”  
  
The two stopped bickering and hit their backs against what was left of their cover again as the Collector ship at the heart of the colony began to lift off.  
  
“No! Don’t let them get away!” The pulled themselves from the ground to see the man they’d found locked away earlier running into the courtyard. “Half the colonies in there! They even took the damn alliance guys.”  
  
“ _Do something_!” The man yelled again, looking to them.  
  
“We did the best we could.” Garrus consoled him. “We couldn’t stop them.”  
  
“More than most have done.” Mierin pointed out. “Half are still here, Commander.”  
  
“Commander?” The man spat. “Commander fucking who?”  
  
“Commander Vakarian.” Another voice answered, a familiar turian walking into their sights, an asari and salarian following behind. “Captain of the Normandy. Spectre. Killed in action two years ago.”  
  
“Typical.” The human yelled again. “All the good people we lost and you lot are still here. I’m _done_.” He added before storming off, leaving the two teams in a stunned silence.  
  
“Lantar.”  
  
“Commander.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
If the knock on Garrus's door hadn't been so recognisable after the day he'd had, he would have been tempted to ignore it.  
  
But when it opened up and Shepard was standing there with a bottle of alcohol in each hand he definitely didn't regret it.  
  
She handed the bottles straight to him, indicated for Garrus to stay quiet as she activated her omni-tool and started scanning the room.  
  
"So, how's your night been?" She asked airily.  
  
"I think it might be about to get far more interesting."  
  
She gave him a grin before pressing a few buttons, a wave emitting from her omni tool before she spoke again.  
  
"I got a copy of Mordins program off him." Shepard finally explained. "He used it to deactivate all the bugs in the lab."  
  
"I got a few of the more obvious ones." Garrus said, helping to remove the remaining devices, one was hiding right inside the glass cabinet. He hadn't even opened that. "But this is really quite excessive."  
  
"It's Cerberus." Shepard stated. "I left my audio surveillance. It's why I play the music so loud in there. I hope those fuckers enjoy the replay."  
  
Garrus stifled a laugh as she crashed down onto his couch. No one could pay him enough to do that job.  
  
"So." Shepard started. "You. Me. Booze. Oh, and you're a fucking liar. I checked your visor spec updates in the armoury and it's not up to date."  
  
"Humans." He scoffed, setting down glasses he'd grabbed from his desk onto the table beside the bottles. "Have to be in everybody's business. Hardware upgrades."  
  
"And pants."  
  
He raised a brow plate at her.  
  
"Sorry, I thought we were listing shit that wasn't relevant to the topic."  
  
It took more than a few glasses of whatever the hell Shepard was drinking before the conversation devolved from guns and visors to other things.  
  
“You know the worst thing about this?” She groaned, making a gesture to her face from where she was now lying on the couch, legs draped over his. “I’m never going to get laid again.”  
  
“You’ll get laid again.” Garrus said back, stifling a laugh. Mildly drunk Shepard had always been more mouthy than sober Shepard.  
  
“Doubtful.” Shepard grumbled. “Seriously, would _you_ fuck me?”  
  
“No, but -” He answered, quickly cutting her her triumphant _‘Ha!’_ “I would, how does Joker put it that one time - make sweet, sweet love to you?”  
  
Shepard was _gone_ , laughing so hard he had to grab her legs to stop her from falling off the couch.  
  
“I never thought-” She choked out between laughs. “That I would ever hear a turian say that, let alone you.”  
  
“I’ve just spent far too much time around humans.” Garrus conceded as Shepards laughter finally settled down.  
  
“Lantar was a dick.” She finally said. “Him and his new ‘special ops’ best friends can go fuck themselves. ”  
  
Garrus exhaled, there were more than a few things that had been a punch to the gut today. “He was right.”  
  
“As if he fucking was!” Shepard exclaimed. “They bring you back from the dead, give you a ship, crew, bunch of old buddies and a mission vital to the survival of the galaxy. What were you meant to do?”  
  
“I don’t know anymore, Jane.” Garrus said, leaning back into the couch as she gave him a momentary nudge with her foot.  
  
“Doin’ the best you can, Garrus.” She murmured back.  
  
A sudden _blip from_ Garrus’ terminal on the upper level grabbed their attention. He lifted her legs off him, placing them back on the couch as he went to check who was calling.  
  
“Important?” Shepard asked, pushing herself up from the couch.  
  
“My sister.” Garrus called back.  
  
“Definitely important.” She confirmed, making sure she didn’t trip up the stairs in the loft. “I’ll take my leave, then.”  
  
Garrus have a questioning look at the care she took in her stance.“Sure you don’t need help to get downstairs.”  
  
“Call. Important.” Shepard reiterated. “It’ll be fine.”  
  
“If it’s not, I’m blaming your false reassurances.”  
  
Shepard gave him a nod and headed towards the door. “I can take one for the team.”  
  
“Night, Jane.” Garrus called after her.  
  
“Night, and I’m sorry for the run and smash on Horizon.” Shepard confessed. “It’s just - you took me on almost every mission on the SR-1.”  
  
Garrus gave her a confused look. “I remember.”  
  
“I know when you’re not going to duck.” She simply stated. “And to be honest, the last couple of years kinda blew without you.”  
  
She’d always been more honest when she wasn’t completely sober as well.  
“I'm not going anywhere.” He said.  
  
She smiled and gave one last wave and the doors slid open, leaving him with the still flashing notification on his terminal.

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“And I win again!” Jack cried, pulling the winnings over to her side of the storage crate.  
  
“Goddamn bullshit.” Zaeed practically spluttered at the younger biotic. “How in fucks name does she keep _winning?_ ”  
  
“I think the most surprising part is she’s not cheating.” Kasumi added with a laugh.  
  
“Sore. Fucking. _Losers._ ”Jack shot both of them the biggest shit eating grin she could muster. “Where the fuck is Shepard so I can win some of her booze as well.”  
  
“Well.” Kasumi started, leaning in towards her two other teammates. “I saw her heading upstairs with a couple of bottle of said alcohol.”  
  
Jack just made a gagging noise in response.  
  
“You up in everyones business, love?” Zaeed questioned. “Or just theirs?”  
  
The glint in the thief's eyes answered his question as she shuffled their cards again.  
  
“Deal again, losers.” Jack interrupted. “I want your cute little ship this time old man.”  
  
“What the bloody fuck.” Zaeed swore. “Do you want that for?”  
  
“Baby krogan needs a new toy, jack ass.”  



	4. Chapter 4

  
  
“Are you sure you want to keep going?”  
  
“Don’t be such a little _bitch_ , Vakarian.”  
  
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”  
  
“ _I can take it_. Shut Up.”  
  
“You’re going to -” Garrus winced as Shepards arm collapsed from under her, and she hit the floor with a thud.  
  
“ _Fuck_.” Shepard swore through gritted teeth as she rolled onto her back. She’d always been able to beat him whenever the game of choice was push ups.  
  
“You really need a new baseline.” Garrus suggested as he sat down next to her. “I’m mostly cybernetics now. It’s not the same.”  
  
“I have cybernetics in my arms as well - _and_ I’ve always had better upper body strength than you.” Shepard countered, brushing the wet pieces of hair from her face. “This is just embarrassing.”  
  
“Lighten up, you got hit by a gunship.”  
  
“Excuses, excuses.” Shepard groaned. “I take my meds, do my physio and get all my grafts or whatever Mordin has for me. I’m sick of this shit.”  
  
“Patience.”   
  
She just flipped him her middle finger, but took a hold of his outstretched hands nonetheless, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.  “I need to go calibrate something.”   
  
“Make sure you get some rest before Haestrom.” Garrus called after her. “We’re going to be up to our arses in Geth.”  
  
“What else is new?” Shepard yelled back before she exited to the room. Waving a quick hello to Trenus and the few others that followed him in to use the training room.   
  
"Commander." The other turian greeted. "Mierin just got forwarded some new dossiers for you."  
  
 _More,_ Garrus thought. This was going to be good. 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_"Looks like more geth." Wrex grumbled, a flare of biotics covering his body again._  
  
 _"Not just more ground troops." Garrus yelled as an Armature was dropped onto the field in front of them. "Get down!"_  
  
 _They all hit the deck, smaller geth dropping around and and climbing above them as the Armature sent blast after blast of energy at the small crate structures that served as their cover._  
  
 _"When it stops." Garrus called. "Shepard, Tali - you overload it's damn shields. Wrex -"_  
  
 _Garrus didn't even get to finish as the attacks stopped, giving them an opening light the Armature up in a blaze of electricity. Wrex following up with a crushing wave of biotics, leaving only a minor scratch on the thing._  
  
"We need more than just guns." Shepard almost had to scream over the noise from the  firepower the geth Colossus and the troops were laying down on them.  
  
"Just like old times." Garrus yelled back.  
  
"Yeah, it fucking sucked on Therum too." Shepard called again. “And that was the baby version.”  
  
“Commander.” Trenus said, his voice ringing out over their comms. “I brought some... experimental grenades I’ve been working on. They might stun it enough for us to get some good shots in.”  
  
Garrus shot a look of concern over to the other turian. “Are they safe?”  
  
“From a distance? Yes.” Trenus clarified.   
  
“Do it.”  
  
Trenus removed the grenades from their straps on his armour as the others sent out more gun fire on the geth troops. Garrus noticed him exchanged a few words with Shepard beside him before she quickly took out one of her energy drinks and downed it before he handed the two grenades to her.  
  
“Suppressing fire!” Garrus ordered, giving Shepard an opening to get out of cover and - that’s why he gave them to her - send them flying straight into the body of the Colossus with her biotics, the massive explosion of electricity causing the creature to retreat back to it’s defensive position and taking out the troops around it.   
  
The five of them pushed forward, picking off the remaining geth and focusing on the Colossus before it could get its shields back up.   
  
Garrus realised he was having to do less and less directing as the mission went on, Grunt, Zaeed and Trenus moved and alternated between avoiding the strips of radioactive sunlight and moving forward to whatever cover they could find as they unloaded clip after clip into the Colossus.  
  
It still wasn’t quite enough as the creature began to try and rise back up onto its legs.    
  
The sudden impact of biotics on its ‘head’ made it stop momentarily, Garrus expected the biotics to dissipate as they opened fire once more. Instead it stayed steady, noticing that Shepard hadn’t just intended to hit it, but try to rip its head off instead as the metal began to warp.   
  
The wired inside became visible they all concentrated their fire once more, a garbled scream ripping across the field as the geth exploded shreds of metal.   
  
“Now that was a fucking light show.” Zaeed commented as they regrouped, Grunt catching Shepard by her arm as her legs almost went from under her.   
  
“Trying something new?” Garrus questioned as she straightened back up.  
  
Shepard just shrugged her shoulders. “Jack’s a surprisingly good teacher.”  
  
Garrus gave his team the once over, everyone was still in tact, no major injuries. Now to see if his luck continued with their old friend. “All clear, Tali.”  
  
“Just a second.” She replied. “There, it should be unlocked now.”  
  
They had a six man team returning to the ship this time. 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
“How did you like the ship miss Cheif Engineer? ” Jane asked with a grin as Garrus and Tali entered the armoury while she finished putting her weapons away.   
  
“That drive core.” Tali said with an exaggerated movement of her hands. “Is _amazing_.”  
  
Garrus let out a laugh from beside her. “You should probably buy the ship dinner first before you start touching it like you were.”   
  
“It’s my job now.” Tali reminded him. “I can touch it however and whenever I want.”  
  
“Jane.” Garrus said as the human failed to hide her laughter. “Conference room with us.”  
  
“Of course.” She said, steering Tali towards the second door as Garrus gave a nod to Trenus before they wandered in to the empty comm room.   
  
“There are a few other things you need to know.” Garrus started, he’d left the... worst until last in this case.   
  
“Worse than Cerberus?” Tali asked, a joking tone in her voice until she saw the look exchanged between her two friends. “You can’t be serious.”  
  
“It’s nothing horrific.” Jane reassured her. “Not... really.”  
  
“The ship came with a full crew, Joker, Doctor Chakwas-” Garrus began to explain. “And a shackled artificial intelligence.”  
  
“A _what?_ ”  
  
“EDI’s nice.” Jane added quickly. “And helpful.”  
  
The quarian just looked between the two suspiciously. “Seriously?”  
  
“EDI” Garrus said a little louder. “Say hello.”  
  
Tali gave a slight jump at the sudden appearance of EDis blue interface at the end of the conference table. “Hello.”  
  
“All her hardware is isolated in the AI Core, just off the medbay.” Garrus explained further.   
  
“I operate the electronic warfare and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that I cannot interface with the ships systems.” EDI confirmed before disappearing again.  
  
“She tries anything funny and I’ll put my shotgun right into her hardware.” Tali warned.   
  
“Not without my say, you won’t.” Garrus answered with a stern look. “If there’s a problem, we’ll deal with it.”  
  
“No one will need to put any shotguns anywhere.” Jane said. “The only funny business EDI gets up to is annoying the shit out of Joker.”  
  
Garrus couldn’t keep himself from grinning. “It’s pretty funny.”  
  
“He spent two weeks calling her ship cancer so she spent two weeks messing with his chair.”  
  
Tali threw her hands up in defeat. “You’re both _crazy_.”

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_Tali felt another shiver run down her spine as she watched the air condense when her teammates without helmets breathed in and out beside her. “I don’t think I can make my suit temperature higher without falling asleep.”_  
  
 _“Yeah, the suit controls aren’t making much of a difference now.” Lantar agreed, Jane and Ashley nodding as well._  
  
 _“Quiet.” Garrus ordered, omni-tool out in front of him. Trying to navigate them through the underground complex._  
  
 _“There’s more down here.” Wrex sniffed the air a few times. “More asari, a few humans, turians.”_  
  
 _“More asari.” Liara echoed. Benezia was down here, she had to be. She gave Tali a small smile as the quarian gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze._  
  
 _“I think this is it.” Garrus said quietly to them. “Be ready.”_  
  
 _Tali moved forward as Garrus called for her, quickly hacking the door and allowing them entry._  
  
 _There was a single woman standing on the platform above, an asari. “Matriarch Benezia.” Garrus addressed her, the matriarch not even turning to acknowledge them._  
  
 _“Indeed.” Beneza turned to face them. “You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. Turn it towards happiness or despair.”  Benezia said, looking almost mesmerized._  
  
 _Garrus turned his gaze to the right, in front of her the tubing in front of her contained the Queen. “Her children were to be ours, raised to hunt and slay David's enemies.”_  
  
 _Benezia finally turned to them, her eyes cold, set on Liara. “I won’t be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation.” She added._  
  
 _“Liara is here because she wants to be.” Garrus shot back._  
  
 _Benezia narrowed her eyes at them. “What have you told him, all of them, about me Liara?”_  
  
 _”What could I say, Mother?” Liara cried. “That you’re insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you?” Her chest heaved as she forced the words out. “What could I say...”_  
  
 _Benezia ignored her, turning her attention back to the Commander and the others by his side. “Have you faced an asari commando unit before?” She asked, mouth quirking into a grin._  
  
“Few humans have.”  
  
Garrus looked between the two women following him into the low lit office, they’d _all_ heard that phrase before.  
  
“I’ll make it simple, either you pay me.” Liara told the now terrified looking human on the holographic interface. “Or I flay you alive - _with my mind_. ”   
  
The call cut out, as she turned to them, a smile spreading across her face and it was the Liara they recognised again. “Commander I - my sources said you were alive but I never believed -” She shook her head almost in disbelief and pulled the turian into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Garrus.”  
  
“It’s good to see you too, Liara.”  He said back, giving the asari a tight squeeze back. “Wait, you have sources now?”  
  
“I have many.” The air of confidence in her voice was enough to make him believe she had more than they could imagine as she turned to the slightly bouncing quarian beside him.   
  
Sometimes there were moments.   
  
He remembered every soldier, every friend he’d lost over the years. Sometimes there were moments when the feeling of loss crept back up into his chest, remembering that all his girls wouldn’t be in the same room again. Virmire still felt like months, not years.  
  
“And you-” Liara started on Shepard. “Thank you for frequent calls.” She chided, the most sarcasm he’d ever heard coming from the asari.  
  
“I called... a while back.” Shepard said back nervously. “Although with all these sources I’m guessing you knew where all of us were.”  
  
Liara gave a sly smile again, walking back towards her desk, ushering them to sit. “I did hear you grew a pair of wings on Omega.”  
  
“They got clipped by a gunship.”   
  
“They’ll grow back.” Garrus added.  
  
“This metaphor.” Tali chimed in. “Is lost on me.”  
  
“We’re getting a bit off track” Liara grinned. “I’ve also heard you’re gunning for the Collectors” The asari pulled up a few items on her terminal before resting her elbows on the desk, leaning towards them. “How can I help?”  
  


_\-------------------------  
_

  
Garrus had been _almost_ concerned they wouldn’t have enough things to do on Ilium while the upgrades for the ship were being installed.   
  
He quickly realised after back to back missions and his crew taking alternating shore leave between the work on the ship that there was more than enough activity to keep everyone busy, or in a good part of his teams case - exhausted, if Talis head against the mess table was any indication when he walked in that morning.   
  
Everyone on board had began congregating more frequently in the mess for meals, Samara had seemed to be enjoying the rowdy mess of aliens, he was sure he almost had Thane convinced to leave life support every once in awhile.   
  
He noticed Shepard give him a wave as he walked over to the kitchen, Joker was apparently the target of discussion this morning.   
  
"What I want to know is-" he heard one of female turians ask, probably still trying to break through Jokers bullshit facade. "Is how a human, with a bone disease - beat out the best pilots in the Hierarchy to pilot the Normandy."  
  
"Oh, _why_ would you ask that?" Shepard groaned from the kitchen as she waited for the breakfast to cook.  
  
“Because not only am I the best damn pilot in the Alliance.” Joker smirked back at her. “I’m the best damn pilot in the Turian fleet as well.”  
  
Jack snorted a laugh from the table over. “And so fucking modest.”   
  
"Seriously, though." The turian continued, drawing attention from the others who were littered around the mess "I had a few friends on that short list and they all got blown out of the race and I never heard what happened."  
  
"It _is_ a great story." Jane didn't even need to see Jokers face to know that he had his   
smuggest grin on now.  
  
"Here we go-"  
  
"-So." Joker cut off Shepard’s objections. "We had prelim flights, tests, all that crap and it came down to me and this guy - I can't remember his name – anyway, we had two final flights. One in an Alliance fighter, another in a turian one."  
  
“He’s going to be insufferable for days.” Shepard whispered to Garrus, leaning back on the counter and taking a large swing of her coffee while she waited for her favourite part.   
  
“Who asked this time?” He asked back, voice low and close to her ear.   
  
“Cali from engineering.”  
  
“You and the girls from engineering…”  
  
“Fuck off. That was one time and Lana was smoking hot.” Shepard hissed back. “You confined me to the ship to ‘take it easy’ for a few weeks and I learn _everything_ – oh, here we go.”  
  
“We’re on the last leg of the course and _bam_!” Shepard silently mimicked the pilots exact words, moving her arms in fluid movements like she was controlling a couple of you ships herself. “The guy tries to clip me, I feint and he burns out -  
  
“-sending himself spinning off into the nearest moon.” The combined chorus of Garrus, Jane and Tali ringing out out Joker.   
  
Joker continued to ignore them. “Then I cross the finish line, turn right back around and retrieve the other fighter. We get back to the ship and I had the job.”  
  
“They tried to debunk the results you know.” Garrus commented. “Captain basically told them to shove it and that he wanted you for the job.”  
  
“Really?” Joker replied, sounding genuinely surprised for once. “Then why he always so pissed with me.”  
  
Garrus held back a laugh. “Because you’re annoying, that’s why.”  
  
“That does explain why your ego is bigger than ship itself.” Calida remarked before returning her finished meal to the kitchen, the others clearing out of the mess as well. “Surprised he can still fit in the cockpit, sir.”  
  
“That still surprises me every day.” Garrus said, letting out a laugh as Joker turned around to raise an eyebrow at all of them.  
  
“So you have been with the ship since the beginning?” Samara asked over her mug of tea, she had an amazing ability to shut the rest of them up, Garrus had noted.  
  
“Beginning.” Joker repeated. “And the end - _then_ the beginning again.”  
  
“We lost the first Normandy over two years ago.” Tali said, seeing the questioning look on the asaris face.   
  
“To a Collector ship.” Shepard added.   
  
Joker nodded from his seat. “So I take their existence a little personally.”  
  
The mess had fallen into an eerie silence as the oldest crew members finished talking, the Commander breaking it with a quick cough. “Don’t look so nervous.” He told them, all eyes looking to him. “They _won’t_ get us again.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
_“You must be joking!” Liara cried from her seat in the back._   
  
_Ashley, pushed herself forward between the two front seats. “You should absolutely do it, Commander.”_   
  
_“I agree, sir.” Shepard quickly joined in. “We have to test this thing out right? Gotta know everything works to its fullest capacity.”_   
  
_The Commander glanced at the two smiling humans to his side and tapped a few of the controls on the interface in front of him. “I’d sit back if I were you, Williams.”_   
  
_“Oh, Goddess.” Liara groaned as Ashley strapped herself back in, huge grin still across her face._   
  
_Garrus gripped the wheel of the mako and hit the accelerator, sending the four of them hurtling towards the edge of the cliff face in front of them, the vehicle lifted off into the air and began to fall to the ground far below them._   
  
_His ears were filled with the sound of one of the most high pitched screams he had ever heard in his life as they descended and he began to engage the thrusters to slow them down, the noise stopping as they hit the rocky ground with a thud and a few bounces._   
  
_“I didn’t know asari could make that sound.” Ashley said quietly from the back._   
  
_The Commander exchanged a look with Shepard beside him before they both burst into laughter for the first time, Ashley joining in as Liara buried her face into her hands.  
  
“It’s not funny!”_

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
Solana felt the knot in the pit of her gut tighten as she stood outside the door to her parents home - her Dads home. She hadn't been on Palavan for months, let alone home.  
  
She finally raised her hand, hitting the buzzer on the doors interface. She shifted her weight between her legs back and forth a she waited for the door to be answered.  
  
"Solana." Her father greeted as the door slide open.  
  
"Hi Dad." She replied, pulling the older turian into a hug as he ushered her in.  
  
"You could stand to send a message every once in awhile." Her father commented. "So I know you're alright."  
  
"We both know you'd find out if I wasn't." Solana commented, she had no illusions as to just how many connections her father had both in and outside the military.  
  
"Still -"  
  
"I know." Solana interrupted. "I have something to tell you Dad, can you sit down for a minute?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you in trouble?"  
  
"No, look, I just need you to listen to me." Solana tried to explain. "And if you need another confirmation, just talk to Councilor Sparatus-"   
  
"Solana." Her father interrupted. "What is going on?"  
  
"Garrus is alive." She practically blurted out. "I don't know how, but I spoke with him the other day and - "  
  
"You aren't funny Solana." Her father said with an angry shake of his head.  
  
"I know I'm inappropriate sometimes but do you really think I'd joke about this? " She countered, this was definatly going to be as bad as she thought it would. "Really?"  
  
"Your brother is dead." Her father snapped.  
  
"He's. Alive." Solana pressed. "Dad, _please_ -"  
  
"Go." He said quietly, leaning his head into his hands.  
  
Solana didn't push any further, quietly walking to the door. "I'm here for another four days, you know where I am."  
  
She didn't get a reply.  
  
"I love you, Dad." Solana called as she exited the room and headed for the front door.   
  
He'd come around, or at least she hoped he would.

 


	5. Chapter 5

  
Mierin stretched her neck from side to side as she finished fixing up the last of the crews rosters. Her internal reports for Cerberus and the Normandy were done, more feeds of information to be dealt with later streaming into a second terminal in her field of vision.   
  
She shut down the terminal for the night as she heard a knock on her door. Glancing quickly at her omni-tool, not realising the time had gone so damn fast.  
  
She hit the button to her door revealing Trenus with a hand full of datapads. “Thought you could do with a few more of these.”   
  
“Thanks.” Mierin gave him a quick grin and took them, walking back towards her desk and adding them to her growing pile.”I always wanted more of these.”  
  
Mierin wasn’t all too surprised when she heard the door hiss shut, feeling his hands on her waist a moment later.   
  
“Is that all you want?” Trenus asked, breath hot on her neck.   
  
She grinned, pressing up against him. “I can think of a few other things right now.”  
  
Trenus almost felt a twinge of regret when barely three hours later Mierins omni-tool began to glare brightly in his face and moments later he had his pants thrown at him with a quick shout of “ _Up!_ ”  
  
“What is it?” He asked, cringing as the lights clicked on in the cabin.  
  
“High priority call from the Spectre.” She replied, quickly fastening up her clothes. “With this encryption - it’s something big.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“This is what we’ve got.” Garrus had a number of his team assembled in Mordins lab, a few bleary eyes staring back at him at the obscene hour it was. “A turian patrol ship disabled a collector ship before getting wiped out. We’re about forty minutes out.”  
  
“Disabled?” Mierin inquired. “Are we sure about that?”  
  
“Your boss swears his information is good.” Garrus clarified for her.  
  
“I know the Hierarchy has the biggest military presence in the galaxy.” Shepard chimed in. “But one patrol ship was able to take it out, even temporarily? I think that sounds like bullshit, Commander.”  
  
“So do I.” Trenus agreed. “One of these ripped the last Normandy apart.”  
  
“But we will be going in regardless.” Thane deducted from the look on their Commanders face.   
  
“We are.” Garrus confirmed. “Thane, Kasumi, Jane, Tali and myself will be going onto the ship.”   
  
“Mierin.” He turned to the other turian. “Get everyone up and at their posts, just in case.”  
  
“Aye, Commander.” She left without another word as the others were sent to prepare.  


_\-------------------------  
_

  
“This entire ship is an abomination.” Shepard spat, as they passed another pile of bodies.   
  
“Not the most pleasant ship I’ve ever snuck onto.” Kasumi agreed, ducking behind Thane to avoid another small pile of bodies.  
  
"Is that a lab?" Tali asked, looking at the open room ahead. There were lit terminals standing out in the dim light. As they entered they noticed the pods, a number of them scattered around the room attached to active terminals.   
  
Garrus slowly approached the one ahead of him, the only open one - the others fanning out across the room, making sure it was secure.  
  
"Spirits." Garrus muttered under his breath as he realised who the occupants of the pods were, tubes and tech feeding in and out of the body, through the pods and into the terminals. "They're Collectors" He said a little louder, grabbing his team's attention. "Why the hell are they experimenting on their own."  
  
"Tali-" He called to the quarian. "Can you get a feed of the terminal running to EDI, please."  
  
She nodded, omni-tool appearing on her arm as her fingers worked quickly to establish the link. "EDI." Garrus said, a quick activation of his comms. "We're sending some data through to you now, see if you can find what they were up to."  
  
The others gathered up behind them, keeping a watch on the entrances to the room in between looking over at the open pod. " _Data received_." They heard EDI acknowledge. " _Analysing_."  
  
“ _The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and those aboard the ship_.” EDI continued.   
  
”Do we know what for?” Garrus questioned.   
  
“ _I have no hypothesis on their intentions. However, their preliminary results reveal something remarkable_.” EDI said, “ _a quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure - the Protheans_.”  
  
“Oh Keelah.” Tali whispered from beside him, glancing away from the pod.  
  
Garrus shook his head in disgust. “The reapers didn’t wipe them out, they enslaved them.‘  
  
“ _Correct_.” EDI confirmed. “ _The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs. They are no longer Prothean_.”  
  
“And they’re going to do the same to us, at the very _least_.” Shepard added from behind them.  
  
“They can try.” Garrus fired up his omni-tool and severing the current connection. “We need to data mine what we can and quickly, move out.”  
  
The five of them continued to move through the ship, even Thane making a rather unamused face at the slime that was dripping from the ceiling and onto them. “There are more and more of them.” He commented, noting the pods on the ceiling.  
  
“Are there -” Kasumi started. “Do you think they’re people in them?”  
  
 _“There are no life signs in the pods.”_ EDI answered before Garrus got a chance. _“It is probable the victims inside died when the ship lost primary power.”_  
  
“So we’re walking through one big graveyard.” Shepard muttered, just loud enough for those closest to hear.   
  
_“Commander. You gotta hear this.”_ Joker rang out a few minutes later. “ _On a hunch_ _I got EDI to run an analysis on the ship -_ ”  
  
 _“I compared the EM profile against the data recorded by the Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match.”_ EDI concluded.   
  
“This has gone way beyond coincidence.” Garrus said. "What about the one on Horizon?"  
  
"It also matches." EDI confirmed for him after a moment.  
  
“ _Watch your back Commander._ ” Joker said back before the comms went silent again.  
  
“If we have the time, and the opportunity.” Tali proposed. “Can we blow this ship to hell?”  
  
Garrus gave her a quick grin. “That option won’t exactly be taken off the table.”  
  
Shepard added a murmur of approval as they continued further into the ship. “Anyone else think it’s strange we haven’t found one Collector - corpse or otherwise?” She asked.  
  
“It is perhaps as we expected.” Thane said. “This does not feel right.”  
  
The winding main hallways provided no sign of any other life besides themselves before they emerged into what appeared to be the center of the ship, it reminded Garrus more of a giant cavern in an underground complex than a ship.   
  
“You could harvest all the terminus colonies and still not fill all these pods.” Kasumi said as they glanced up at the expanse of pods covering every inch of the ship around them.   
  
“Homeworlds.” Garrus concluded. “They’re going to target homeworlds.”  
  
“Platform up ahead.” Tali pointed out. “Looks like the main terminals.”  
  
The others covered the quarian as they moved onto the platform, weapons drawn and ready as they established a connection between the ship and EDI, starting their data mine.  
  
“ _Oh shit.”_ They heard Joker swear before the interface in front of them flickered out, the holds on the platform shifting around them.  
  
“I redirected the overload into non-critical systems.” EDI finally informed them. “This was not a malfunction Commander, it is a trap.”  
  
“Of _course_ it is.” Garrus replied, his exasperation mirroring that of his team as the Platform lifted up and they finally found the inhabitants of the ship and opened fire. 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
Jane had never seen their Commander the calibre of pissed off he was when they returned to the ship.   
  
So naturally when the call from the Spectre came not an hour later She was up in the cockpit with Joker to eavesdrop. It wasn't like they hadn't asked - they'd just taken his snippy " _I don't care_ " as a "yes".  
  
"I can't wait to hear what he's got to say." Shepard said, resting against the arm of the pilots seat as Joker pulled up the video and audio from the comm room.   
  
"You and me both." She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, the prospect of the Collector ship almost opening fire on them again hadn't sat well with him. "And Tali's patched into the audio downstairs. We're good."  
  
They both fell into a silence as they watched the Commander walk into the comm room and activate the channel.  
  
"I've analysed some very interesting data that EDI retrieved, Vakarian." Shepard hadn't expected the Spectre to sound so goddamn smug.   
  
"Well isn't it just the day for interesting discoveries." Garrus shot back. "Like how you were the one who fabricated the distress signal, sending us in there under false pretences you barefaced son of a-"  
  
"Commander." The Spectre interrupted. "A certain amount of deception was needed to make the Collectors believe they were at an advantage. I did not put you in a position which you were unprepared for."  
  
"You not giving us all the information." Garrus countered. "Is what makes us unprepared."  
  
"I'm certain you already had suspicions about the ship prior, regardless. My clarifying that for you would not have changed a thing."  
  
"There is a big fucking difference between 'they might be making repairs' and 'they're definitely waiting for us'" Garrus snapped. "Consider that next time you decide to withhold things from me or you just might end up with big loss on your _investment_."  
  
“These decisions have to be made and the information is with me.” The distinct lack of change in the Spectres voice made it apparent he could care less about the Commanders view on the situation. “And it payed off. EDI was able to identify the IFF system the Reapers and Collectors, now all we need is one of them.”  
  
“”You think the Collectors are just going to let us on their ship again?” Garrus said. “Just swing by, steal their IFF and leave?”  
  
“We have other avenues to obtain an IFF.” The Spectre told him. “Be ready for when we have one.”  
  
Garrus swore as the channel was cut before he could reply. _Again_.   
  
Back in the cockpit Joker sighed. “He’s going to have his happy face on all day now.” 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
Within not half an hour the entire ship was a buzz with the revelation that the Collectors had once been Prothean, Jane and Tali trying their best to answer the probing questions of various crew members. What Garrus heard as he grabbed his own meal in the mess was almost word for word of what Liara had explained to them on various occasions.   
  
“What about you Commander?” Donnelly asked as he took the spare seat left next to Tali. He, Tali and Jane gotten into a habit of finding themselves in the same place at least once a day, if they could manage it.    
  
“What they know is what I know” He said back with a shrug of his shoulders.   
  
“Can I put in a request for another SR-1 story?” Calida chimed in from the table over. “They’re my favourite.”  
  
“There’s a great one about Jane learning how to drive the mako.” Tali suggested, earning herself a glare from the human.  
  
“Again, I knew how to drive the damn mako - even if they last time had been four years prior and the previous incarnation of it.” Shepard corrected with a frown in the quarians direction.   
  
“Go on, tell it Commander.” Daniels called from down the table getting nods of agreement from the other crew members.  
  
“So we go down to this fucking freezing planet to investigate some distress signals.” Garrus started, putting his utensils aside. “Shepard had been bugging me to let her drive for once. The mission was just recon and I took her down with me.”  
  
“We mark up the distress signal and start driving over to it. Suddenly the land is nice, flat and quiet.” Shepard continued. “Of course, a thresher maw bursts out of the ground right in front of us.”  
  
“And the first words out of her mouth.” Garrus laughed “are ‘I am going to die - _in a mako!’_ ”  
  
 _“The hell you are, evasive manoeuvres!” Garrus yelled to Shepard as he climbed into the back seat of the mako. “Coming up on the left.” He read off the scanner as he pulled down the sights for the canon._  
  
 _The mako shook as the maw emerged from the icy landscape around them, Garrus fired the cannon as Shepard effectively drove circles around the maw as she’d seen the Commander do before. The vehicle just barely avoiding the acid it spat out on them._  
  
 _“On the right.” Garrus called again, adjusting the canon again. “Just keep doing what you’re doing Shepard.”_  
  
 _It took another ten minutes of circling the Thresher around on the snow covered plain before it gave a final screech and hit the ground with a huge thud that caused the earth to shudder once more._  
  
 _Shepard pulled the Mako to a stop, her hands tight around the wheel and shaking. She barely noticed Garrus climbing back up into the front passenger seat._  
  
 _“So,” Garrus said, turning to her. “Krogan love maw meat right? Should we go grab some for Wrex?”_  
  
 _He was taken aback when he didn’t even get a twitch of amusement from the human for that one. She didn’t even look at him before releasing the seat belts holding her in and opening the door onto the icy wasteland and getting out._  
  
 _“Shepard!” He yelled after him, getting out her side of the vehicle. Shuddering as the icy air hit him at full force._  
  
 _“Jane, The Normandy is that way you know.” He jabbed a finger upwards to the sky. “Are you going to walk there or can humans fly and you haven’t told me? I’d honestly just be impressed if that’s the case.”_  
  
 _That finally got her attention and she finally stopped allowing him to catch up. “Now is not the time for the fucking funnies, that was way too fucking close!”_  
  
 _“Panicking wasn’t going to help us” He yelled over the blustering winds that were picking up. “I knew you could keep us alive.”_  
  
 _“How could you possibly know that? I’ve only been on your ship for a month and a half!” Shepard turned around and yelled back to him._  
  
 _“It hasn’t been that long, but I’ve been watching all of you and I can see your potential. If I give you a job or an order it’s because I know you can carry it out.” Garrus explained, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Now get the fuck in the mako before I die out here.”_  
  
 _Her mouth finally twitched up into a smile. “I thought you loved the cold Commander.”_  
  
 _“Shut it, Shepard.”_

 


	6. Chapter 6

Cor Aut Mors

Chapter 6

  
_The sudden jolt and stop in the movement of her surroundings woke Jane from her sleep. She was cold, the cargo hold hadn’t been this cold when she’d drifted off into an exhausted sleep._   
  
_“Hey” Jane nudged the older girl beside her. “The ships stopped.”_   
  
_When she didn’t get a response she crawled out in front of her. “Anna?” She was cold. She was so, so cold._   
  
_“Anna!” She whispered, shaking the girls shoulders. “Wake up, wake up, please.”_   
  
_The older girls head lolled to the side, small streams long dried blood present down from her nostrils and ears. "I'm fine, just get some sleep" She'd said, but that batarian had hit her so hard before they got away._   
  
_Jane climbed shakily to her feet, trying to figure out how to take Anna with her before she realised there was no way she'd get out in time. Anna had said if anything happened to get off the ship, as quick as possible._   
  
_Not to worry about her._   
  
_Jane choked back a sob. She’d known._   
  
_She ducked around the small compartment, finding the same spot they’d been able to sneak in through. She ducked her head around the corners carefully - the asari who owned the ship were nowhere in sight and she made a break for the delivery docks and disappeared into the crowds of the Citadel._

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
Shepard could feel her heart beginning to race. She had it. She finally fucking had it.  
  
She dodged past the crew on hanging around the mess, the smell of coffee and what she so affectionately called ‘turian bacon’ thick in the air. She gave a quick nod as she walked past Daniels and ran head first into the Commander as he exited the elevator.  
  
“I need to talk to you.” The words were out of her mouth before Garrus could open his.  
  
Garrus nodded towards the observation deck, making a quick scan of the room to make sure it was vacant he finally addressed her. “What’s going on, Shepard?”  
  
“Remember how I told you one of my crew sold us out to the mercs?” She said quietly. "I think I've found him, I got a hit from a contact on the Citadel."  
  
"You sure it's him?" Garrus asked.  
  
"The information is good." She confirmed. "He went to a guy on the Citadel called Fade, the guy basically runs an underground witness protection program."  
  
Garrus shifted from foot to foot for a moment, he knew she'd track the man down eventually - but he'd hoped she'd be in a less vengeful place by then. "Are you sure you still want to do this?"  
  
"Yes." Shepard insisted. "I know you don't exactly agree, but I could still use your help."  
  
"Ok, we'll be on the Citadel on a few days. We'll find him."

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_Shepard walked through the damaged doors of her base, blood splatters of various colours already present in her line of sight as she cautiously made her way in – but the mercs were long gone._   
  
_Then she spotted the bodies._   
  
_The quick scan with her visor indicated they were dead, except for two life signs flashing on her interface. One on the stairs, one in her bedroom. “Lenar?” She called out to the turian on the stairs._   
  
_“Fuck, Arch, you gotta help her.” The turian choked out as she rushed up to him. “There were too many for us, they shot Mel. She’s the only one left, they ran when they knew you were coming back - you’ve got to -” The turian convulsed, his breathing finally stopped before She could even try and tend to his wounds._   
  
_Shepard gently rested her friend down and continued up the stairs to the final life sign. “Mel?” She called out to the girl leaning against the couch, blood staining through the front of her shirt, seeping through her hand that was trying to apply pressure._   
  
_“Get out of here before they come back.” Mel said to her, groaning in pain. “That shits not going to help me now.” She scoffed as Jane pulled out her omni-tool and administered some medi gel to ease the pain._   
  
_“I can’t believe he fucked us, that fucking coward.” She exclaimed through gritted teeth. “Fuck.”_   
  
_“I know.” Jane said, pulling the younger human into her arms and applying more pressure to the wound on her abdomen. “I should have seen it coming, when I get my hands on him, I swear -”_   
  
_“He’s not worth the effort to put the bullet in his brain.” She choked out. “It’s not your fault, you know. None of us saw it coming.”_   
  
_“I’m sorry.” Jane whispered to her. “I’m so sorry.” She could feel the girls pulse slowing._   
  
_“Don’t be, maybe if there’s something when you die - I’ll get to see my family again.” Mel shook her head weakly, tears starting to run down her face. “”Do I get to know you real name now? That’d be cool.”_   
  
_Jane almost let a smile pass over her face, Mel had been hounding her about since she’d picked her up. “My name’s Jane Shepard.” She finally told her. “I used to work for C-Sec.”_   
  
_“Shit, I knew it.” Mel said, the biggest smile on her face now. “You were on Vakarians crew as well, I totally had my money on that.”_   
  
_“You were making bets?”_   
  
_“Those of us not informed of your real identity may have been making said bets on who you really were.” Mel told her. “A few of your vague stories sounded like the antics of the newest turian Spectre.”_   
  
_Her breathing began to slow, body feeling heavier in her arms. “Tell you what Jane, if there is something - I’ll tell your Commander you say hey.”_   
  
_“You make sure to annoy the hell out of him for leaving us all ok?” Jane said, holding her tightly._   
  
_“You got it.” Mel looked up at her for the last time. “Thanks for taking me in, helping me. No one else would have, I’ve always appreciated that. It was... an honour working with you Jane.”_   
  
_For the second time that night she watched the light leave her friends eyes and set her down. Pulling herself from the floor and almost blowing a hole in the nearest wall with her biotics._   
  
_She wasn’t leaving. It was over and she was done._   
  
_And before she went Shepard was going to take as many of those mercenaries with her as she could._

_\-------------------------  
_

  
"So Fade, couldn't make yourself disappear, _huh_." There was a sickening crack as the butt of her Carnifex connected with the man's face before she forced him into the wall.  
  
“Come on, Shepard. We can work this out.” Harkin choked out. “What do you need?”  
  
She lifted her forearm off his throat, moving back slightly as Garrus and Tali set up behind her, watching the exits to the room. “I’m looking for someone.”

  
“Then I guess we both have something the other one wants.” The smug grin Garrus remembered from the first time he’d met Harkin on the Citadel flashed across his face before Shepard  gave him a quick knee to the mid section.  
  
“We’re not here to ask favours, Harkin.” Garrus said as the other man hit the ground.  
  
“You don’t say.” The human seethed.  
  
“You helped a friend of mine disappear, I need to find him.” Shepard said.  
  
Harkin narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m going to need a little more information than that.”  
  
“Human, male.” Shepard stated. “Richard Jenkins, came from -”  
  
“I know who he is, I’m not telling you shit.” Harkin shot back.  
  
Garrus sighed, this wasn’t going to end well. “This doesn’t have to be hard, Harkin.”  
  
“Screw you.” He said, looking back at the turian. “I don’t give out client information. It’s bad for business.”  
  
That was it for Shepard, she knocked Harkin back against the wall once more - a flash of blue enveloping her body as she threw an arm out, pushing the man up the wall, her biotics glowing around his neck.  
  
“You know what else is bad for business?” Shepard yelled at him. “A broken neck!”  
  
Harkin flailed as she began pushing him further up, Garrus interrupting her with a shake of her shoulder, she let Harkin drop to the floor before she shoved his hand away.    
  
“Terminus really changed you, huh Shepard.”  
  
Jane didn’t answer, just pulling him up by the font of the shirt and shoving him towards the central console. “Arrange a meeting.”  
  
Harkin finally gave in, establishing a connection and talking to their wanted human. The three of them stood in silence, Garrus and Tali glancing at each other when Shepard grabbed her pistol, making sure it was reloaded.  
  
“It’s done.” Harkin said, walking back over to them. “He’ll meet you in front of orbital Lounge, middle of the day. Now that’s done I think I’ll be.”  
  
“I don’t think so Harkin.” Shepard grabbed him by the front of the shirt again, halting his departure. “You’re a criminal now, well - more than you were in C-Sec anyway.”  
  
“So what?” Harkin spat. “You just gonna kill me? That’s not your style Shepard.”  
  
“Kill you? No.” She almost laughed, releasing him and aiming her pistol at his legs “But I certainly don’t mind slowing you down a little.”  
  
Harkins eyes widened as he realised she was more than serious now, shrinking back as Garrus cut in, grabbing her arm and knocking the shot to the side so it planted itself harmlessly into the wall.  
  
“You don’t have to shoot him.” Shepard gave him the filthiest looks he’d ever seen as he finally grabbed her attention. “We won’t be able to hide from C-Sec now.”  
  
She reluctantly holstered her gun and shook him off once more. “It’s your lucky day.”  
  
Harkin gave her an undeservingly smug grin as Garrus and Tali turned back towards the main door. “Let’s do this again, real soon, you still going to be on the turians leash like the bit-”  
  
Harkin was silenced by her knee connecting with his nether regions, her teammates glancing back. “I didn’t shoot him.” She shrugged.  
  
Garrus shook his head. “Let’s move.”  
  
“He’d better be there Harkin.” Shepard called back. “Or I’ll be back, without the turian.”  
  
She gave Harkin one last glare as Tali locked the doors to the control room shut, and they made their way back out of the warehouses in silence.

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“Harkins an asshole.” Shepard finally said as they got back into the skycar. “We shouldn’t have let him go, he deserved far worse than what we gave him.”  
  
“Jane.” Garrus shot a look over to her. “I’m getting a little worried about you. I’ve never seen you man handel anyone with your biotics before.”  
  
“You think he didn’t deserve it?”  
  
“I’m sure he deserves worse.” Garrus shot back, finally finding a landing spot for the car.  “It’s just not like you Jane, even Harkin could tell.”  
  
“What do you want from me, Garrus?” She asked, looking out his window. “Jenkins _screwed_ us. My entire team is dead because of him, what would you do?”  
  
“I don’t know.” He looked over trying to catch a glimpse of her face. “But I wouldn’t want it to change me.”  
  
She let out a short laugh. “These things always change you.”  
  
“I know you’ve gone through a lot, but is this really how you want to deal?” He asked tentatively.  
  
“I’m not you, _Commander_.” She shot back at him.  
  
“This isn’t you either!”  
  
“Garrus is right, Jane.” Tali called quietly from the back. “I’ve never seen you like this, and I don’t like it.”  
  
“I don’t care if you don’t like it. This isn’t two years ago.” She snapped at her. “Everything has changed.”  
  
“You don’t have to do this.” Garrus pushed again. “Let me try and talk to him.”  
  
“Yes I do” Shepard insisted. “Words won’t fix this. Nothing will, but this’ll help.”  
  
Garrus just shook his head. “Then I clearly never taught you anything.”  
  
Shepard didn’t even reply to that one. “I need to go set up.” She said, releasing the door. “Maybe if I’m lucky you’ll talk him into shooting himself first.”  
  
“ _Jane!_ ” Tali cried from the back seat as she shut the door.  
  
Garrus didn’t say anything, he just put the car back into drive and took them over to a lower landing platform.  
  
“How could she say that.” Garrus could tell the Quarian was holding back tears under her mask. “After _everything._ ”  
  
“Don’t take it personally.” Garrus told her. “The betrayal, the anger – it’s all been eating at her for so long now and she doesn’t know what to do with it anymore. I don’t blame her either; it’s not an easy thing to come to terms with.”  
  
“She didn’t need to make that last remark.”  
  
“She didn’t.” He agreed. “But she’ll feel bad about it later.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_“The short human in the red and blue civvies, that’s him - wave him over.”_  Garrus complied, discretely waving to the jittery looking human.  
  
“Let’s get this over with.” The human said, still looking to see if anyone was watching them.  
  
 _“You’re in my shot. Move to the side.”_  
  
Garrus took a deep breath and kept himself exactly where he was. “Look Jenkins, I’m here to help you.”  
  
“Don’t ever say that name out loud!” The man hissed at him.  
  
“I’m a friend of Jane's. She wants you dead but I’m hoping that’s not necessary.” Garrus continued.  
  
“Jane?” The man spluttered. “Is this some kind of joke?”  
  
 _“Damnit Garrus, if he moves I’m taking the shot.”_  
  
“You’re not joking.” The man finally realised. “I’ve gotta get out of here, tell Jane I had my own problems.”  
  
Garrus quickly reached out and grabbed the human by the arm, pulling him back despite his protests. “I’m the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head right now.”  
  
Jenkins finally stopped, staying still in front of the turian. “Fuck. Look. I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t have a choice.”  
  
 _“Everyone has a choice.”_ Shepard snapped in his ear.  
  
“They got to me.” he continued. “Said they were going to go to the Shadow Broker, we’d cost them so much money  they just - they would have found my sister. She’s all I have left”  
  
“So that’s it? You were trying to save yourself and your sister?” Garrus asked.  
  
“I know what i did. I know they all died because of what I did.” Jenkins told him. “I can’t sleep, can’t eat - everytime I close my eyes I see them staring at me, accusing me -”  
  
Garrus almost felt pity for the human, he was broken, he was suffering. “I just want it to be over.”  
  
 _“Just give me the chance then.”_  
  
“You have to let it go, Jane.” Garrus said back quietly, realising he didn’t particularly want her to put an end to his suffering either.  
  
 _“He still has his life. They deserved better Garrus, all ten of them deserved better than unmarked graves.”_  
  
“You think what he’s doing is living?” Garrus pushed again. The human looked back at him as he sussed out the other half of the conversation he couldn’t hear.  
  
“Tell Jane...” Jenkins started. “Tell her - there’s nothing I can say to make it right.”  
  
Garrus held his position, waiting for Shepard to answer. _“Just tell him to go.”_ She finally said before she cut her connection.  
  
“She’s giving you a second chance.” Garrus told him. “And if you waste it, you won’t be getting another.” he added as a warning.  
  
“I won’t I - I’ll make it up to her.” Garrus couldn’t tell if the man was relieved or disappointed. “Thank you, for talking to her.”  
  
Jenkins almost took a step back when the turians stance stilled, eyes narrowed at him. “I didn’t do it for you.”  
  
Garrus watched the human quickly  go and motioned to Tali who’d been waiting not far behind to make their way back.  
  
“That was... intense.” Tali commented, trying to fix up a connection with her omni-tool “I can’t get her on the comms.”  
  
“I know.” Garrus said as they reached the car once more.  
  
As he expected, when they made it up to the higher platform, she was gone. a pair of dog tags hanging on the railing where she’d been.  
  
“Is she-” Tali didn’t even want to ask as Garrus retrieved the tags, thumb brushing over the old engravings in the metal.  
  
“She just needs some space, I think.” He suggested. In all the time he’d know her the one thing she’d always kept on her was an old set of her brothers dog tags, she’d said that John kept hers as well. “She’ll be back later.”

_\-------------------------  
_

“Do you think you’ll be able to fix it?” He wasn’t sure whether it was the lack of sleep, or just the days events but he just couldn’t stop himself from asking.  “Your relationship with Kolyat?”

“Our problems are not something I can fix with a few words.” The drell beside him came to a halt as they exited the station. “But I hope so, we’ll keep talking and see what happens.”

“This’ll probably sound a bit strange -” Garrus said, arms crossing over his chest.  “I didn’t agree with what he was trying to do but I – kind of understand where he was coming from. ”

“Do you not get along with your father?” Thane asked.

“We always butted heads – he was here most of the time when I was a kid, C-Sec, I mean.” Garrus explained, he could still easily count the number of times a year he saw his father. “He wanted me to work for C-Sec as well, when I got offered Spectre training and a better posting in the fleet he… wasn’t pleased.”

“He wanted what he thought was best for you.” Thane clarified. “That I can understand.”

Garrus shook his head. “It wasn’t what I wanted, when I took the posting and then the ops training - he barely spoke to me for almost eight years, we were just starting to get along and then the Spectre thing happened and that was probably it for him.”

Thane tilted his head in confusion. “Probably?”

“I haven’t talked to him since then. My sister told me he was pretty angry.” He explained again. “Then after all this, I don’t know if there’s anything left to fix.”

The drell had a familiar thoughtful look cross his face before he answered once more. “No matter what has transpired, you are still his son. I’m not sure it’s possible to stop loving your child.”

“Have you ever met a really, _really_ pissed of turian? It might be.” Garrus asked, earning a low chuckle from Thane in response.

“I hope you can fix it too.” He added to the drell, no one should have a trail of broken relationships littering their lives, he thought.

It wasn’t the _best_ feeling in the universe. That he knew for sure.

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
Shepard threw her legs off the side of her cot in the battery, her omni-tool indicating that it was _late_.  
  
She wandered down into the mess, out to acquire a glass of water before she noticed a glow of the med bay was lighting up the kitchen. She looked in, seeing Garrus setting up a bunch of tools on one of the beds.  
  
She walked up to the glass window and gave it a tap, startling him slightly before shaking her head and moving around to the door.  
  
“What’re you doing?” She asked with a small grin.  
  
“Ripped it open.” Garrus replied with a nod to his forearm. “Don’t want to bleed everywhere before the cybernetics kick back in.”  
  
“Put down the needle.” She said, quickly tying her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head. “Mierin’ll be pissed if you ruin all her good work.”  
  
She heard a low chuckle from the turian behind her as she put on the pair of surgical glasses with the small magnifying extension from the counter and she washed her hands, grabbing a pair of disposable gloves from the dispenser before she walked over to him.  
  
“Are you sure you’re qualified for this?” Garrus half joked as she pulled up a seat, motioning for him to sit on the other.  
  
“Arm up.” Shepard said, tapping the end of the bed as she put the clean sheet of plastic down. “My N-level medical training and doing these constantly for the past two years gives me a pretty ok qualification - did you inject some local?”  
  
Garrus shook his head. “No point, my body breaks it down in about ten minutes.”  
  
“That explains why I was the only one getting stupid drunk after Horizon.” Shepard said, quickly disinfecting the wound. “Cerberus doesn’t fuck around.”  
  
He exhaled slowly as she grabbed the needle and started working. “No they don’t.”  
  
A silence fell between them as Shepard carefully stitched up the gash on his forearm, getting into a rhythm before she spoke again. “I’m sorry about today, I shouldn’t have said all those things - least of all to you.”  
  
Garrus shook his head. “It’s ok.”  
  
“It’s really not.” She insisted, eyes not leaving her work. “You don’t speak that way to people you care about. I -” She paused. “Thanks for stopping me.”  
  
“The lines between good and evil can blur when we’re looking at someone we know.” Garrus said. “And I don’t think he deserved the peace your bullet to his skull would have brought him, no matter how angry you were.”  
  
“Angry is putting it nicely.” Shepard half mumbled. “I wanted to shoot you for a second there, to get to him.”  
  
“But you didn’t.”  
  
“No, I didn’t.” She confirmed. “That was when I realised I was just... done. He’s not worth all the anger, the sleepless nights. I’ll still have them but they won’t be because of him.”  
  
Shepard pulled her instruments upward, cutting the last stitch and reaching for the dressing, pressing it gently over the wound. “How’s that?”  
  
“Feels good.” He said, flexing his arm as he finally got to move it, Shepard moving the tools for sterilizing later,  tossing the used materials in the closest bin. “You ok?”  
  
“I will be.” She gave him a smile. “Thanks, Garrus. For everything.”  
  
“Anytime.” Garrus said, placing a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him with a grin, stepping forward and tugging him into a hug, arms wrapping around his back as he pulled her closer.  
  
“You should get some sleep.” She murmured against his chest.  
  
“Probably.” He agreed, leaning his head against the top of hers. “I might fall asleep on you in a minute.”  
  
“Because I’m squishy?” She laughed. “Fucking turians.”  
  
“You’re really not though, it’s mildly disappointing.” He prodded as they broke apart and headed for the door, hitting the lights as they left. “I’ll see you in the morning?”  
  
“Yeah.” Shepard nodded, eyes not leaving his.  “See you in the morning.”  


_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_“I’m so damn lost.” Jane swore to herself as she glanced up at the multitude of signs she couldn’t read and ducked into one of the many side alleys before she got shoved into a wall again for not moving fast enough._   
  
_She noticed one she could read in the distance a few meters down. Earth basic, finally._   
  
_“What’re you doing down here, huh?” Jane spun around to see three humans blocking the direction from where she’d just come._   
  
_“I was just leaving-”_   
  
_“Who sent you, duct rat?” One snarled at her._   
  
_Jane moved back, trying to gather as much energy as she could. The gnawing sensation in her stomach more apparent than ever. “No one sent me.”_   
  
_One quick hit to the side of her face sent her stright to the ground. “I don’t like little liars.” The man snarled. “Now, who sent you.”_   
  
_Jane gritted her teeth, she'd hadn't come this far to get taken again by someone else. Before he could strike her again she hit him with the largest wave of biotics she could muster, the sound of bones cracking echoing down the alley before he fell back. Completely still._   
  
_“She’s a biotic!” One of the others yelled before quickly launching themselves at Jane in an attempt to restrain her. She didn’t have anything left, evading the grabs at her a few times before they started to work together, easily pinning her to the ground._   
  
_“Not a very good one, too young.” She heard the other comment._   
  
_The one above her laughed. “Might play with her for a bit and then take her back to the boss, he likes a biotic.”_   
  
_Jane panicked, attempting to throw him back ended up in her head being slammed back down to the ground - before the pressure holding her down was suddenly gone._   
  
_She spun herself onto her back and scrambled backwards to see a Krogan throwing the humans around the alley like they were dolls with his biotics._   
  
_None of them got up._   
  
_Jane pressed herself hard into the wall as the krogan lumbered towards her next. “Leave me alone.” She threatened, a flickering blue glow around her body just making him laugh._   
  
_“You couldn’t make a scratch even if you tried, little pyjack.” The Krogan laughed._   
  
_“Don’t. Call me that.” She seethed._   
  
_The Krogan grinned again. “A mouthy pyjack.”_   
  
_“I’M NOT AN ANIMAL!” Jane screamed back, shrinking back down as she realized she’d probably just picked another battle she definitely couldn’t win._   
  
_The krogan moved forward again, ignoring her protests as he lifted her up, pulling up the back of her shirt, exposing the plethora of bruises and cuts that adorned her back before letting go._   
  
_“Who are you looking for?”  He asked. No hint of amusement in his voice now._   
  
_“I-I don’t really know.”  Anna had been the one with a plan, she thought. “The human embassy, or an Alliance outpost - I just... need to find my brother.”_   
  
_The Krogan brought up his omni-tool, quickly flipping through a few interfaces before looking back to her. “Come on, then.” He said before turning to walk back down the alley, expecting her to follow._   
  
_Jane looked at the krogans back and down at the bodies littering the floor and quickly decided, staying where she was was definitely not the best option._   
  
_“What’s your name?” She asked as she caught up, the krogan grabbing onto her arm as they reentered the fray of the wards._   
  
_“Urdnot Wrex.”_


	7. Chapter 7

  
“This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Garrus commented as the second wave of Tuchankas natural fauna ceased and they regrouped, picking up ammo left by the previous attempted at the rite.  
  
“You’ve fucking jinxed us now, Commander.” Shepard told him.   
  
“That’s not how the galaxy works, Shepard.”  
  
“It is. And now we’re boned.” She called back as they followed Grunt back up to the keystone.  
  
Garrus nodded to the krogan and he hit it for the third time. The same deep krogan voiced boomed out the loudspeaker again at them, the giant pillar crashing down and violently shaking the ground as they ducked behind the closest debris for cover.  
  
“It can’t be- ” Shepard looked over to Garrus and Grunt wide eyed when the earth didn’t stop shaking.  
  
“Oh, _fuck_.” Garrus swore back, replacing his assault rifle with the heaviest weapon on him. “Heavy hitters out, incendiary ammo -  and any biotics you can throw at it Shepard.” He ordered.   
  
Grunt was about to ask exactly what the hell they were going on about when he was interrupted by a massive thresher maw erupting from the ruins around them, shifting the landscape into an even more open plain around them.   
  
“ _Jinxed. It_.” Shepard yelled at him as they made a run for it, retreating back further as the maw began its barrage of acid in their direction.   
  
They switched from cover to cover as the maw followed them around the now much larger arena. Unloading every bit of ammo in their guns into it, the sound of its screeches getting louder and more pained the more time that progressed. Another dose of the collector particle beam to the threshers mouth and it was _angry._     
  
“It’s aware of our pattern here, Garrus.” Shepard called over the comms, the mortified expression on her face blocked by her helmet.  
  
“We’ve almost got it.” Garrus told them. “We make a break and it’ll be on us, we need to turn that back - get right up on it and blow its head off.”  
  
“My gun right in it’s mouth.” Grunt pondered. “That sounds like fun.”  
  
Garrus yelled for them to move again as the ground starting shaking closer this time, the three of them making a run back for the main part of the area, the maw close behind. They swung around empting their clips into the maw, causing it to writhe backwards. Shepard hitting it with a barrage of biotics trying to keep it off balance for a little longer while the Commander emptied what was left in the particle beam into it.  
  
The maw however, had had enough and it lurched forward - aiming its mouth right on top of them.   
  
In one quick moment as the maw descended down on them Grunt aimed his claymore up into its jaws and fired, Shepard throwing up a barrier at the last moment as the threshers head blew out and the remains crashed down on top of them, sending Garrus’ whole world black.  
  
 _“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!”_  
  
Garrus’s heart rate shot through the roof, his breathing quick. He ducked under the burning cables, hitting the flickering green button on the door to the CIC.  
  
 _“This is - ”_  
  
The world flickered in slow motion, the sound of his own breathing almost deafening as the glow from the planet below him illuminated the wreckage of the command center as he walked the route to the cockpit.  
  
 _“This is SSV Normandy.”_  
  
He realised he wasn’t going to make it back to the escape pod, his body flung across what remained of the Normandy's cockpit, cracking painfully on the wreckage.  
  
 _“Garrus.”_  
  
He grasped for the air line from his suit to his helmet as he was pulled forward. It rushed against his fingers, the mess of blue and red light from the planet below reflecting against his visor.  
  
 _I’m going to die._  
  
He didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t stop the leak, he was choking, his hands went to his throat, trying to stop it, trying anything but –  
  
 _“Garrus!”_  
  
His air was all gone.  
  
A painful pull at his head startled him, Garrus gasped for air as his helmet was ripped back from his head, Tuchankas dust filled air filling his lungs as he realised he was back on his feet, a pair of familiar hands holding him up.   
  
“You back in there?” She asked, pushing some of the thresher innards off his armour as he straightened himself up.  
  
“Yea, I’m good.” He finally managed to get out, following along when she pulled his arm around her shoulder, other arm around his back and leading him out of the piles of maw.   
  
“Your baby krogan is taking care of some Klixen.” Shepard explained, as they saw Grunt charge off again behind some cover.  
  
“He’s not a baby, Jane.”  
  
“His two favourite things are his claymore and the ship toy Jack got him.” Jane put forth. “Baby krogan. You’re such a deadbeat dad.”  
  
“Then you can deal with him for the next week if I’m so terrible.” Garrus said back. “I’ve got enough to do.”  
  
“And I don’t?” Shepard cried back in mock anger. “You’re going to have to work out a visitation schedule with Wrex after this anyway, leave me out of it.”  
  
Garrus groaned and leant his head down against her helmet. “ _Jane._ ”  
  
He could feel her shake with a few laughs as they finally caught up with Grunt.   
  
"Battlemaster!” The krogan exclaimed. “I told her the maw wouldn’t put a scratch on you.”  
  
“Thank you, Grunt.” Garrus held back a laugh, if someone had said he’d be on the krogan homeworld doing all this one day he’d have told them to seek medical attention. “Lets get the hell out of here.”  
  
As if to defy his very words, a shuttle flew in right over them, heading for the nearby site that hadn’t been torn to shreds by the maw. “Ha!” Grunt laughed. “I’m in the mood for a few more.”  
  
“Somehow I doubt that’s one of Wrex’s.” Shepard sighed as they made their way over, continuing on without her aid and sealing his helmet back on.   
  
“Uvenk again.” Garrus said in a low voice to his team. “Why am I not surprised?”  
  
“You live!” Uvenk addressed them as they came into view. “And you brought down the thresher maw, no one has done that in generations. The last was Urdnot Wrex.”  
  
“He’s going to be so _proud_.” Shepard whispered to them as the krogan rattled on.   
  
“My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes.” Grunt cut in. “Which are damned good.”  
  
Garrus took small pleasure in the filthy look the krogan threw him. “This will cause discussion.” He continued without a second glance at them. “You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans.”  
  
“All you have done is spit on my fathers name, on my _Commanders_ name.” Grunt replied in disgust. “And now you stop ranting because I’m strong?”  
“With restrictions, you could not breed of course. Or serve on an alien ship, but you would be clan in name.” Uvenk added so generously to his offer.   
  
“The choice is yours, Grunt.” Garrus said.   
  
“I am pure krogan, not a trophy for clan Gatatog.” Grunt answered after a moment, locking eyes with Uvenk. “And you can go fuck yourself.”  
  
Uvenk snarled in anger, grabbing the shotgun right out of the hands of the krogan beside him. “You head is valuable, whether you’re alive or dead.”  
  
The three of them flew back into cover as the other members of clan Gatatog drew their weapons and began to open fire.   
  
“You had to headbutt him earlier.” Shepard laughed as they polished off the nearest krogan within moments. “I think he’s mad because you, Wrex _and_ Grunt made him their bitch.”  
  
“And now.” Grunt called of the gunfire. “I will make him dead.”

_\-------------------------  
_

  
Krogan, as it turns out, took taking down a thresher maw as an excuse to cook a lot of dead maw and crack out all alcohol within the bounds of the central camp as a celebration.  
  
It wasn't until half the Krogan in the camp were intoxicated that Garrus finally got an opportunity to talk to Wrex with a decreased chance of someone eavesdropping on their conversation.  
  
"You better be about to tell me what the salarian was doing with clan Werylock, Vakarian." Wrex muttered to him as they moved away from the festivities.  
  
"I told you I would, Wrex." Garrus replied, resting against some of the rubble. "We did find him, the salarian. Except he was there voluntarily."  
  
Wrex narrowed his eyes at the turian. "What salarian would be here voluntarily?"  
  
"He worked on the genophage modifications." Garrus explained. "He was trying to cure the genophage but -"  
  
"But what, Garrus?" Wrex was well and truly interested now.  
  
"Before you ask, no it wasn't working or finished." He continued. "The experiments they were doing... it was -"  
  
"Distressing to your sensitive turian eyes?" Wrex suggested. "Not so easy to swallow when it's right in front of you is it?"  
  
"I never said it was, Wrex." Garrus replied, the discussion was all too familiar. "It's not the first time it's happened either has it?"  
  
Wrex shook his head. "No." He answered bitterly. "It's not."  
  
"The females who volunteered-" Garrus started, he suspected he'd never be able to forget the bodies left behind, left to decay without as much as a second though. "We didn't find any left alive."  
  
Wrex paused for a moment, resting his back against the wall behind him. "And what about the salarian, all his work?"  
  
"He's gone, the STG will make sure he's not a problem." Garrus told him. "We kept the data, Mordin’s got a copy."  
  
"You kept it?" Wrex asked in disbelief. "And you didn't think to get me a copy?"  
  
"I have a feeling we're going to need it one day soon." Garrus said. "It's safe with Mordin, and he's probably one of the few people in the galaxy who can use it. Trust me."  
  
Wrex looked at Garrus with the same cold glare he'd given the him on Virmire two years ago. "If you screw me around on this one Vakarian, I _will_ kill you."  
  
"We don't need another Virmire, Wrex."Garrus grinned. "I'll make sure Mordin's in contact with you after we finish this mission and -" He added before Wrex could ask. “I have a contingency plan in place if anything happens to us.”  
  
“Thought of everything, have you?” Wrex was unable to keep the grin off his face now.   
  
“Just for you, Wrex.” He glanced back over to the rowdy Krogans, noting Tali was still off to the side talking with the mechanics. “They can’t keep her, by the way.”  
  
Wrex let out a booming laugh, slapping the turian on the shoulder. “She’ll have given them enough to work with for a year at the rate they’ve been going.”  
  
”Where’s-”  
  
“Jane?” The krogan pointed to a gap in the roofs structure. “I think she found the lookout post. Don’t really use them that much anymore.”  
  
Garrus thanked him and made his way up, the sound of far too many drunk krogan echoing in the distance as both the relief of not having another showdown with Wrex and the fatigue of the day finally hit him.   
  
He found Shepard, leaning forward, elbows resting on the small wall that encased the lookout.  
  
“Hey.” He greeted, taking up a spot beside her. “Had enough of the Krogan festivities?”  
  
She nodded. “Yeah, the smell of cooked thresher mixed with ryncol was getting a bit much.”  
  
“Can’t argue with that.” Garrus agreed. “Of course krogan become adults by fighting a maw, how did we not see that one coming?”  
  
“We’re uneducated aliens, clearly.” She grinned back.   
  
“You didn’t you have chats with Wrex about krogan coming of age rites?” He chided. “Damn, Jane. You guys spent enough time down in the cargo hold together.”  
  
She snorted a laugh. “You know, out of all the things I never wanted to know about Krogan, that wasn’t included.”  
  
“How were you ever a cop?” Garrus teased. “Your information gathering skills are terrible.”  
  
"You’re such an asshole.” She exclaimed in mock anger, lightly punching his armoured shoulder.    
  
They fell into a comfortable silence, looking out over the darkened expanse of the camp, a shimmer of the artificial atmosphere noticeable every few minutes above them.   
  
“Are you ok?” Shepard asked. “After today.”  
  
“You know it’s my job to worry about all of you.” He said with a quick flare of his mandibles. “Not the other way around.”  
  
“We do, though.” Shepard exhaled, turning around to lean her back against the wall and looked towards him. “Just because your cybernetics and upgrades make you heal faster doesn’t mean you don’t take a beating.”  
  
“I scared you, didn’t I?” He asked, as she leant in closer.   
  
“No.” She shook her head. “I get the post traumatic-” she waved a hand trying to find the words. “-all that. I just... I care about you.”  
  
He gave her a small grin and reached out, gently cupping the covered side of her face and pulled her closer, their foreheads resting against each other. A moment later he could feel Shepards hand pulling the front of his armour towards her, head tilting up and pressing her lips against his.   
  
“Sure you want this?” She said, barely above as whisper as they pulled back.  
  
Of all the things that had plagued his mind with uncertainty over the past months, there were few things he was sure of. “I want you.”  
  
Their lips met again, him following her lead as they got as close as their armour would allow, her tongue brushing the edge of his lip, coaxing him into the same action.   
  
_“Garrus?”_  
  
The two broke apart, breathing a little heavier than before as they turned to see Tali pull herself up from below. “Hey.” She greeted. “I think it might be time to head off, they’re getting into the ‘ways to kill a turian’ portion of the evening.’”  
  
Jane quickly turned her laugh into a cough at the grimace on their Commanders face as he agreed, Tali climbing back down to allow the other two passage.  
  
“After you.” Garrus offered.   
  
She brushed past him, a little closer than usual. Listening to Tali tell them about her talks with the krogan as they made their way back out into the compound.  
  
 _‘I want you?’_ Garrus thought to himself later when they’d all said their goodnights. He could just hear his sister mocking him. _‘You sound like a bad romance vid. Do you forget to think before you open your mouth sometimes? Spirits, how are we related again?’_  
  
He groaned and knocked his forehead against the cool metal of his cabin door. Hoping that the embarrassment would at least cancel out the memories of burning metal and space for one night.

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
_“But if we work with the Reapers – if we make ourselves useful – think how many lives could be spared!” Anderson explained the turian Spectre. “Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the dangers of indoctrination. I had hoped this facility would protect me.”_   
  
_“You think Sovereign’s controlling you?”_   
  
_“No” Anderson said. “But I’ve studied the effects of indoctrination. The more control Sovereign exerts over a subject the less capable they become. He needs me, my mind is still my own… for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will not let it happen to me.”_   
  
_“Sovereign’s been playing you for a long time now Anderson.” Garrus called over tentatively. “Think about it. Kaidan Alenko was your friend, right? You were his mentor, you were the one who trained him, made him a Spectre.”_   
  
_“What’s your point, turian?”_   
  
_“You know Kaidan wasn’t just on Eden Prime to secure the beacon for the council right?”_   
  
_His team gave frantic shakes of their head at him as he ducked out of cover to talk to the human face to face. “He recommended me for Spectre status, he was there to start an assessment of my skills. Do you really think if you were in your right mind you would have shot him, point blank - for doing his damn job. Instead of evading him, getting him to join you, maybe?”_   
  
_“Kaidan was always soft, he would have gotten in the way.” Anderson tried to dismiss his claims, but for the first time he saw some semblance of sadness on the mans face, eyes downcast on the ruined AA tower._   
  
_“He trusted you, you were his friend and you killed him in cold blood.” Garrus pushed, trying to get through to the former Spectre. “Come with me, we can stop Sovereign, stop the Reapers. We’ll figure out how to get rid of the indoctrination!”_   
  
_“No.” Anderson answered finally. “I will save more lives than ever existed and you are trying to undo all my work, you will damn us all - I can’t let you live.”_   
  
_The Commander dived back behind cover as he was fired at. “This is it.” He said to his team over their comms. “We don’t have much time, take him the hell down.”_   
  
_Within moments they all moved into position. Shepard hanging back and focusing her sniper rifle on the hovering Spectre above them, Wrex and Liara sending a wave of biotics Andersons way while Tali and Garrus moved closer, filling the area with the loud, repeated sound of their short range weapons firing._   
  
_“I’ve got him.” Garrus heard Shepard say just as one last sniper shot was let off from behind him, sending Anderson falling to the ground._   
  
_“Don’t let him-” Garrus was cut off as Andersons platform he’d been flying around on crashed before them, a surge of energy and throwing them all backwards to the ground._   
  
_“Fuck.” Garrus groaned, looking around him and seeing his team struggling to stand._   
  
_Turning his head again he came face to face with Anderson coming right for him. The  man swiftly grabbed him around the neck with a strength he hadn’t known the former Spectre possessed,  easily pulling Garrus towards the edge of the tower - finally holding the turian up over the edge._   
  
_‘How is he- fuck!’ Garrus thought bitterly to himself as the waves crashed below him while he struggled to breath. The sound of the facilities alarm finally drew Andersons gaze and he put all his strength into one quick punch to the humans face._   
  
_Anderson fell backwards, letting go of his neck and sending him to the ground gulping for air._   
  
_“Commander!” He heard the others calling to him but couldn’t focus, his head was spinning from the lack of oxygen and the beacon he’d touched not twenty minutes ago._   
  
_He watched Anderson get away once more and they left Ashley Williams there that day on Virmire._

 


	8. Chapter 8

  
_Shepard let out a growl of frustration, the Commander had completely mangled three of the valves to the Mako’s thrusters on their last mission. She had the Mako lifted slightly upwards, lying directly under it and trying to fix the damage. At least it was quiet, and mostly dark under the Mako. Peaceful now one else was down in the hold either._   
  
_“Shepard?”_   
  
_She turned her head to the side and saw Garrus peering under the Mako at her “Mind if I join you?”_   
  
_“I’m not sure why you’d want to be down here, but sure.” She replied and he climbed under the Mako, laying next to her._   
  
_“This doesn’t look good.” He grimaced at the mangled machinery._   
  
_“It’s pretty terrible” Shepard grinned at him. “You really stuffed it this time Commander.”_   
  
_“Sorry.” He said, amusement in his voice as well. “Anything I can do to help?”_   
  
_“How about not trying to drive the Mako over a sharp, pointed rock next time?”_   
  
_“No promises, but I’ll try.”_   
  
_Shepard nudged his arm with her own. “Any particular reason why you felt the need to hide under here, Commander?”  She asked before turning her attention back to the damaged valves._   
  
_“I don’t know.” He said, exhaling slowly. “Just wanted some peace and quiet.”_

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
“You’ve been avoiding me.”   
  
For the first time in weeks Shepard finally ceased her typing and turned to him with an eyebrow raised as he took a seat on one of her crates. “Really?”  
  
“Funny.” Garrus said, two very damn long weeks of calibrations and awkward conversations. “We can’t function like this.”  
  
All traces of amusement were wiped from her face as she turned around and leant back against the console.  “I just... it’s been busy and I needed to think.”  
  
He stayed silent as she exhaled in the same practiced manner that she did when using her rifle. That generally never indicated anything good.   
  
“Look, I know it was a long day and the glow of the artificial atmosphere was all very romantic but- ” Shepard bit down on her lip momentarily while she tried to put her words together. “There’s not exactly a shortage of attractive female turians on this ship, I know you can find something a little closer to home.”  
  
It was his turn to throw a questioning look at her. “If you’re uncomfortable with this, all you had to do was say so.”  
  
“That’s not what I’m saying.” She shook her head. “You’ve just always seemed to be the ‘stick to your own species’ kind of guy.”  
  
“I’ve never had an... interest in humans, that’s not wrong, but-” He paused. “Stranger things have happened recently. I, you -  I like you Jane and I can’t find myself giving a damn that you’re human. ”  
  
She gave him a small smirk. “You don’t think Cerberus broke you a little bit?”   
  
“No.” Garrus said without a second thought, standing up once more. “Think about it some more. Either way - you’re still my best friend. That won’t change.”  
  
Shepard shook her head again. “I’m done thinking.”  
  
“Ah... alright.” He hadn’t anticipated the disappointment in his tone as the words left his mouth, nor the smile on her face as it did. “I’m glad you think it’s amusing.”   
  
“You think I’m saying no?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“I’m definitely not saying no.” Jane beamed with a sigh of relief. “Can everything just go back to normal now?”  
  
“Normal might be a little different.” Garrus pointed out.  
  
“Ok, Can you just kiss me again and then can everything go back to normal?” She amended.   
  
Garrus rubbed the back of his head nervously at that one. “I’m still not sure what I was doing the first time.” He admitted.  
  
“Physical factors considered you did pretty damn good.” She gave him a different kind of smile this time. “But practice makes perfect.”  
  
He took up her challenge and initiated the kiss this time, finding it all a lot easier without their armour getting in the way. “Though If you really think that Tuchanka is romantic, we’re going to have to have a talk.” He said to her quietly as they broke apart.   
  
Jane just rested her head against his shoulder as her body shook with laughter.   
  
“Three words.” She said, pulling back and looking him right in the eye this time. “Reach and flexibility.”  
  
Garrus groaned as her laughter returned. “I’m never going to hear the end of that am I?”  
  
“Never, Vakarian. Never.”

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
The party at Donovan Hocks estate was in full swing by the time Garrus and Trenus walked through the front entrance. The overly large statue of former Spectre David Anderson being taken around the back and down to the vault - full of their weapons and armour thanks to Kasumi.   
  
The party was one of the biggest gatherings of mercenaries he’d ever seen - in a formal setting at least. The rooms were crowded with not only humans and turians, but a plethora of other aliens as well.   
  
_“They’re out on the balcony, the one down the furthest to the left.”_ Kasumi announced over their comms, Garrus suspected she was following close behind.  
  
“My face feels _weird_.” Trenus commented from his right, twitching his nose. “And wrong.”   
  
Garrus nodded in agreement, they’d had to temporarily change their facial markings in an attempt to stop anyone recognising them. “I imagine that would be them.”  
  
The two made a slow beeline for the drell with his arm around the red headed human, their backs to them looking out over the city.   
  
“Took your damn time.” Jane commented, keeping her eyes straight ahead as Garrus and Trenus set up beside them.  
  
“It takes time to make this happen.” Trenus said, nodding at their formalwear.   
  
Shepard made no attempt to cover her laughter at that one. “Yeah, I just walked out of the bathroom like this today, no problem.”   
  
Shepard had almost one upped their change in facial markings, she was almost unrecognizable with her hair finally dyed back to a darker shade of red and more importantly - all the bandages had finally been removed from her face leaving the pink scar tissue present but not overly noticeable. Then there was that dress...  
  
“What have you got so far?” Garrus asked, pulling the conversation back to it’s original purpose.   
  
“I managed to get a scan of the vault entrance.” Thane informed them.  
  
“Not a bad job, either.” Kasumi's voice said from between them, still cloaked. “It’s all pretty standard - for me at least. Barrier, DNA and voice lock - and the two of you already got onto their security channel.”  
  
“We got a little bored waiting.” Shepard replied with a grin, a quick flash of Thanes omni-tool beside her sending what they’d retrieved over. “Their head of security is a Chief Roe by the way, the security guys were bitching about her earlier. ”  
  
“Hmm.” Kasumi thought for a moment. “We could get the two of you into Hocks private quarters and then get the Commander sweet talking him while Trenus finds and cuts the barriers power.”  
  
“Hit all three at once?” Garrus grinned. “We can do that.”

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“We have clearance.” Thane informed the guard. “Check, if you must.”  
  
He activated his comms, their ear pieces feeding them the other half of the conversation with Kasumi impersonating whoever Chief Roe was.   
  
Shepard gave the guard a quick wink as he allowed them to pass, pulling the drell along behind her by the hand, separating as the door closed. “We’re in.” Shepard informed them.  
  
 _“Careful Taros, she’s a screamer.”_  
  
“We’ll see who’s screaming when I’m prying his face plates off later, _Adrian._ ” Shepard shot back immediately.   
  
They heard Garrus laugh quietly before hearing the subsequent conversation with Hock start up as the two of them made their way up to Hocks quarters.   
  
_“Mister Hock? Adrian Spektor. Thank you for the invitation.”_  
  
“You should be shot for these names, Kasumi.” She said to the thief. Trenus was Adrians cousin Antius, then there was Allison Jones and Salik Taros.  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kasumi replied airily. “Alright, let him go Garrus - we’ve got enough.”  
  
Shepard and Thane set out on opposite sides of the room and started scanning. “Datapad had a bit.” She called to Thane moments later.  
  
“As did the wineglass.” He added, feeding their data through to Kasumi.  
  
 _“Can you get anything else?”_ The other woman asked.  
  
“Couch.” Shepard pointed to the two large pieces of furniture near the window. “Beds been changed, that’s out best bet.”  
  
 _“Having flashbacks to C-Sec, Allison?”_ Garrus asked as the two thoroughly scanned each seat.   
  
“Yeah, this one day I’m doing my job - some turian turns up out of nowhere and I trick him into taking me on a whirlwind adventure around the galaxy.”   
  
_“He sounds like an idiot.”_  
  
 _“Can you block the two of them from talking to each other?”_  Trenus groaned to Kasumi.    
  
“We’re done here.” Thane confirmed as they sent the last of their data.  
  
Shepard grinned as they made their way back out, checking the room one last time to see make sure everything was left as it was. “Yeah, you’re the one holding up the team Antius.”  
  
“ _I’m not_.” He replied. “ _Powers down._ ”  
  
 _“Good work everyone.”_ Kasumi praised. _“I’ll meet team turian down at the vault entrance in five and I’ve just sent out -”_  
  
“The coordinates for the underground security.” Shepard confirmed.   
  
They all entered as state of radio silence as the two teams made their way down to their respective points in the complex.  
  
The silent infiltration turning into a full facility lockdown within ten minutes. 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“I’m opening the door from here, it’s the last one.” Shepard called to the other team as Thane cracked open one of the vents as their escape route. They’d sealed the door but they were quickly running out of time.   
  
“This is why I hate dress ups.” Shepard complained as she abandoned the terminal. “Impractical.”  
  
“This will take us a few corridors over.” Thane explained as he swiftly climbed up into the vent, offering her a hand for balance. “Then we run.”  
  
She thoroughly regretted not ditching the heels.  


_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
It was hours and one successful retrieval mission later that Shepard walked into the loft, datapads in hand and heading straight for Garrus at his desk on the upper level.  
  
“All the maintenance reports for the battery and engineering.” She told him, leaning against the desk and putting the datapads down. “Everything was re-evaluated while we were on Birkenstein, looks good to go for shakedown in the morning.”  
  
“I thought you would have crashed after today, not have all this done as well...” Garrus admitted as he had a quick look over them.  
  
“We’re very good, that’s why we’re here.” Shepard smirked. “You still working?”  
  
“Nothing that can’t wait.”  
  
Shepard took that as an invitation to lean down and press her lips against his. His hands moving to her waist and pulling her closer.  
  
“You changed.”  
  
She raised an eyebrow as she pull back a little. “A dress riding halfway up my ass with a gun strapped to my thigh isn’t the best attire for maintenance reports. ”   
  
“Still, it looked damn good.”   
  
“You don’t know what you’re saying half the time, do you?”  
  
“Say ‘ _gun strapped to your thigh’_ again.”  
  
She let out a low laugh and pulled him forward off the chair, hands finding the hem of his shirt.   
  
The clothes dropped quicker after they made it successfully down the stairs, Shepard pushing him back onto the bed, climbing up after and moving to straddle his waist. Her hand reaching for the edge of her shirt as Garrus’ hands moved to grip her hips.  
  
“Fuck.” She breathed, chest heaving as she froze.  
  
“Jane.” She could feel Garrus’ eyes on her as he quirked his head to the side. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“I just – you know when you think you’re ok with something and then you’re not?” She tried to explain. “I’m having one of those moments.”  
  
Garrus rested back on his elbows, setting her hips free. “We don’t need to do this.”  
  
“You say, naked beneath me.” She laughed half-heartedly. “I don’t have the bandages on anymore on my shoulder. It’s not as pretty as my face.”  
  
“Your scars.” He leant back up to nip at her jaw. “Are sexy.”  
  
“Stop listening to the other humans talk.” Shepard chided, taking a deep breath before pulling off her shirt and throwing it to the side.  
  
“That’s it?” Garrus commented. The skin was scarred, a pink colour in contrast to the rest of her skin, but Mordin and Chakwas were _good_. “You’d barely turn a krogans head with that.”  
  
A frown crossed her face. “It’s not exactly a krogan opinion I’m worried about.”  
  
He gave Shepard a quick grin and pulled her in for another kiss, her hands travelling just below his fringe eliciting a groan as he felt the applied pressure and her tongue running along the edge of his lower lip.  
  
The second her hands wandered down to his waist, gently massaging her fingers into the rarer spot of soft skin she found herself pinned to the bed in one very swift move by the turian, concerns quickly forgotten for the remainder of the night.

 

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
The succession of beeps from his alarm clock woke him after the few hours of sleep he’d collapsed into.   
  
What he wasn’t expecting was the elbow of the woman sleeping next to him being driven right into his face as the noise began. His hand flew up and caught her arm as it went for round two. _“Jane._ ”   
  
She stopped resisting finally, lifting her head from the pillow and realising where she was. “Fuck.” She groaned as he leant over and switched it off.  
  
He leant back, wiping the trickle of blood from his nose as she turned around, a mildly horrified look across her face. “It startled me, on Omega you hit first and ask questions later.”  
  
“It’s ok.” He laughed as she placed her hands on either side of his face.   
  
“I’m. So. Sorry.” She punctuated each word with a quick kiss.   
  
“Am I going to have to disable the alarm?” He asked as she folded her arms and rested against his chest.  
  
“I adapt pretty fast.” She told him, resting her head back down. “But duck just in case.”  
  
He laughed again as the last of the pain started to dissipate. Running his talons through the mess that was her hair.   
  
“Keep doing that and I’ll fall back to sleep.” She mumbled.   
  
“We have to run the combat training before shakedown.” He reminded her. “We have to get up.”  
  
Jane groaned again and pushed herself off him, making a look for where the hell her clothes had been thrown, quickly locating and pulling her underwear back on along with her pants.  
  
“Think you’re ready the Thanix test?” Garrus asked as he followed suit.  
  
“Well.” She grinned, pulling her shirt back on. “I’ve already had a few successful canon tests today, so I’m feeling pretty good about it. ”  
  
“I’m mildly concerned you thought otherwise.” Garrus joked as he pulled her in for another kiss, foreheads resting together as it broke.    
  
“Never.” Jane laughed, finally making her way towards the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

_\-------------------------  
_

  
“We are green across the board.” Joker announced. The CIC a buzz with all the navigation crew taking up their respective decisions.  
  
“Then lets get started.” He had Mierin and Jane accompanying him in the cockpit, waiting to see how their upgrades were going to hold up on the little detour through the   
asteroid belt they had planned.   
  
“You might want to hold onto something.”  
  
Joker’s hand flew out across the interface in front of him, diving the ship straight between the large rocks, dodging and sweeping between the gaps big enough for the ship.   
  
“Barriers are holding at ninety eight percent.” They heard one of the girls in the CIC announce.   
  
“We’ve got a gap coming up.” Joker called, hand flying off to the left as he opened up another set of controls. “Charging the Thanix cannon.”  
  
Jane held her breath, eyes set on the rock being targeted in front of them.   
  
“Firing.”  
  
The beginnings of a blue beam appeared in front of the ship for just a moment before it disappeared, a huge explosion rocking the ship and sending the CIC into a red alert.   
  
“What the hell just happened?” Garrus yelled to Joker as he diverted their course, the three of them tore back into the CIC, Shepard running straight through to the lab with a yell of _”Yeah, who fucking needs a staircase between the CIC and the crew deck!”_  
  
Garrus stepped up to the galaxy map, lowering it and bringing up the details critical systems.   
  
_“There appears to have been a hardware error.”_ EDI announced.   
  
”We need more details than that EDI.” Mierin called back as the Commander took over directing the power from non-critical systems. “Commander, the battery has been compromised.”   
  
_“I’m aware of that.”_ Shepard said this time.   
  
“Give me the damn breather.” She yelled to the crew members crowding around the door to the main battery. “Now!”  
  
One of the humans reluctantly handed one over and she strapped it on immediately. “Get ready for a manual open.” She disengaged the door, the others stepping in to pull at the small gap in the doors, opening it just enough to allow her to slip in before it shut back to the minimal opening again.  The steam of the extinguisher clouding out into the hallway.   
  
“Beginning manual override.” She said back through her comm, ripping the panels off the walls and shutting down the power.   
  
_“We’re in the clear.”_ She barely heard Joker over Garrus and Mierin telling her to get out.   
  
“I’m done.”  
  
 _“Thanix and Javelins are offline.”_ Garrus confirmed to her. _“Conference room, now.”_

_\-------------------------  
_

  
  
“I worked my arse off calibrating the damn thing and it just _backfires_?” Shepard exclaimed as she and the engineering team finally assembled in the conference room.   
  
“Are we sure it wasn’t a software issue?” Mierin asked again.   
  
“We all checked over it when we had to compensate for the other upgrades.” Daniels explained.   
  
Tali nodded in agreement. “We’ve been over everything multiple times.”  
  
“I have finished analysing the details.” EDI interrupted, her holo appearing on the desk between them all.  
  
“Go ahead.” Garrus motioned for her to continue.  
  
“Results show that the error was most likely in the installation of the canon.” EDI told them. “It was not done correctly.”  
  
“The installation?” Mierin asked in disbelief. “I used that crew because I knew them, they owed me a damn favour.”  
  
Garrus crossed his arms, thinking for a moment before looking to Mierin. “Who moved up the todays tests?”   
  
She looked back at him, brow plates raised in confusion. “You did.”  
  
Garrus shook his head.   
  
“Then who -” Garrus had never seen Mierin at a loss for words, he guessed none of the crew had either as they all shifted uncomfortably in their spots.   
  
“There’s nothing like some minor destruction to remind someone you own them.” Shepard proposed, breaking the silence.   
  
Mierin looked between them but didn’t comment. “I’ll contact Doctor T’Soni and see if she can recommend anyone on Illium for repairs. I have some calls to make, excuse me.”  
  
“She looks like she going to rip someone's head off.” Donnelly said quietly after the turian left.   
  
“She put a lot of her time into this project.” Garrus said. “Cerberus or not, this is her home too.”  
  
“And if this was sabotage from the inside?” Tali asked.   
  
“Then we have to watch out backs even more carefully than before.”  
  



	9. Chapter 9

 

_The screams of the engineering crew filtered through into Talis helmet. Furiously trying to shut down enough systems to prevent a massive explosion before they could finish evacuating the deck._   
  
_“Tali!” Adams physically pulled her away from the console. “You have to go.”_   
  
_“You need help!” She yelled back._   
  
_“Lana.” He called to the last turian in the room. “Take her and go.”_   
  
_“But sir- ”_   
  
_“I gave you an order Lieutenant!”  Adams yelled back as another explosion rocked the ship._   
  
_The turian threw her an apologetic look and pulled her out the door before she could argue any further._   
  
_Though she’d never forget the look on the mans face as he sealed the doors shut behind them._   
  
_“Go!” Lana yelled pushing the quarian ahead as they took off down the corridor._   
  
_“Over here!” A voice yelled to them, noticing Liara off to the left with a few other stragglers. “Come on.”_   
  
_The ship was shaking more violently now as they changed their course. Tali felt herself get shoved forward. Liara picking her up off the ground moments later  a quick look back making her realise that Lana hadn’t been so lucky, the wall completely blown out on top of her unmoving body._   
  
_Liara yelled at them to move, climbing their way over the debris to the last few escape pods. “Lantar.” Tali heard her call to the approaching turian as he ushered a few more in. “Where’s Garrus.”_   
_“He’s gone to get Joker.”_   
  
_“They won’t make it back!” Liara cried as they followed in after the last of the crew._   
  
_Tali shook her head. “They will, there’s an escape pod up there as well.”_   
  
_They finally secured themselves into the seats and felt the pod launch. Still able to feel waves of destruction as the Collector ship finished off what was left of the Normandy SR-1._

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“This shuttle is starting to remind me of home.”   
  
Shepard snorted a laugh from her seat as the co-pilot, barely hearing the quarian over the noise in the main part of the shuttle.   
  
_“Stop yawning Jack, we haven’t even gotten there.”_  
  
 _“Fuck you, you don’t get kept awake by these assholes meditating at all fucking hours.”_  
  
“The flotilla looked a bit more organised than this.” Shepard commented, the fond memory of their Commander turning the admiralty boards bullshit back on them replaying in her mind. It was starting to look mildly reasonable.   
  
_“How is meditating bothering you all the way down in engineering?”_  
  
 _“She is most likely feeling the energy being concentrated.”_  
  
Tali laughed. “It’s a little bigger too.”  
  
 _“It makes my fucking teeth tingle, ok.”_  
  
 _“You are more than welcome to join us.”_  
  
“I’m not going to stop anyone from meditating.” Garrus called back as he appeared in the cockpit. “Tell me we’re almost there.”  
  
“We are not.” Shepard replied with a smirk.  
  
“We _are_.” Tali corrected, bringing up their trajectory on the main interface. “Where are we setting down?”  
  
Garrus moved forward, flipping down the map and highlighting a visible clearing. “There, nice and easy. There’s only a small human settlement on the other side of the planet so we shouldn’t be interrupted.”  
  
Shepard threw him a grin. “If we are, they’re the ones in for a shock.”   
  
“It does look impressive, if not mildly insane when everyone’s in the same place for once.” They may have still been bickering about the appropriate use of biotics on the ship behind him - but they were finally a unit. 

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“Hey Legion.” Shepard said to the newest member of their team. “Can you hack the other teams comm channel?”  
  
His light on his face flickered for a moment. “Yes, Shepard-Officer.”  
  
“Do it.” She ordered, Samara pushing the foliage aside with her biotics straight ahead of them.   
  
_“Can you get a lock of them?”_ Mierin was asking.   
  
_“They are ahead, not far - it looks like they’re hooking around to avoid some of the more unknown parts.”_ Tali answered.  
  
“Clever.” Shepard commented, sending one of her own programs out to her team. “Activate that.”  
  
They all did so, hearing calls of confusion from the other team. She figured it would only be moments before Tali realised what it was.   
  
“Oh, I like that one.” Kasumi said from behind her.   
  
“It’s come in handy a few times.” Shepard grinned back. “Let’s try and get ahead while they sort out their communication clusterfuck.”  
  
Trenus just laughed. “Mierin is going to be _pissed_.” 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“Damn Shepard.” Tali swore. “Turn off the comms.”  
  
“What the hell has she done to our Nav?” Mierin cried at the multiple target indicators just flying all over the map.  
  
“She’s fucked us is what she did, love.” Zaeed grunted, knocking at his omni-tool as if it would fix it.  
  
“Tali, wipe it clean and get us back the route. We’ll just have to eyeball it.” Mierin ordered, signaling her team back into formation to continue on.   
  
Moments later the omni-tools of both teams lit up, switching them to the emergency comm channel. _“Get back to the landing zone. Now.”_ Garrus voice rang out.   
  
The blockages and sabotages they had inflicted on each other dissipated immediately, all rejoining to make their way back out faster.  
  
“The hells going on?” Mierin yelled out as they spotted each other.   
  
“We know what you know.” Shepard said back, the two of them heading up the biotic blowout to clear a path faster. The landscape would probably look like a pack of mutant varren destroyed it by the time they were done, Shepard thought.   
  
The shuttle was already started and hovering above the ground when they reached the clearing. Mierin and Shepard doing a quick count as everyone got back in. A barrage of questions in Garrus’ direction as he handed the cockpit back over to Tali to get them off world.  
  
Shepards heart sank when she locked eyes with him, whatever it was - it was bad.   
  
“Twenty minutes ago I received a transmission from the Normandy.” The shuttle had gone completely silent as he began to speak. “The Collectors boarded the Normandy. They had already taken everyone before Joker and EDI managed to get the ship out of there.”  
  
“ _They what?_ ” Mierin cried, breaking the silence. “How the hell did they get _on_ the ship?”  
  
“The IFF sent out a signal during installation, disabled the ship.” Garrus explained, letting Shepard pass through to the cockpit without a word as the disbelief of the team rang out in the shuttle.   
  
“Tali.” She said quietly, putting a hand on the quarians shoulder. “You ok?”  
  
She just shook her head, the silhouette of her eyes focused ahead and hands steady over the interface.  
  
“Yeah, me either.” She answered, resuming her position in the co-pilots seat.   
  
The rest of the shuttle had settled into silence when Garrus joined them up front.   
  
“What’re we going to do?” Shepard asked quietly as he stepped between them.  
  
“We’re going to get back, assess that everything is still in working order-” He told her. “And then we’re going to hit the Omega Four relay and use your pretty new canon to blow holes in every one of their ships we can find.”  
  
“And blow them all to hell?” Tali finally said.  
  
“And blow them all to hell.”

_\-------------------------_

  
  
The cargo bay was normally quiet, but it had never felt so empty as when they exited the shuttle.  
  
"I need everyone to do a sweep of their posts." He told his team. “Check everything is as it should be.”  
  
"We taking the fight to them, Commander?" Trenus asked, the others looking for the same answer.  
  
"We'll be setting course for the Omega Four relay within the hour." Garrus confirmed as his team members headed for the elevator leaving him with his XO and Gunnery Officer.    
  
“If there are any abnormalities report them to me.” Mierin called after.  
  
"Joker?" Garrus called as the cargo bay emptied, getting no response.  
  
"Jeff has not moved from engineering." EDIs voice replied instead.  
  
"If he's down here then who's flying the ship?" Mierin asked suspiciously.  
  
"I am." The AI informed them. "I asked Jeff to remove my restraints so I could override the Collectors locks on the ship and purge the systems."  
  
"He _unshackled_ the AI?" Mierin hissed to the Commander.  
  
“I am still bound by protocols in my programming.” EDI cut in. “And even if I were not, you are my crewmates and this is my home.”  
  
"She’s had plenty of opportunities to kill us. " Garrus snapped, looking to his XO. “Instead, she’s saved us every time.”  
  
“Can we go get Joker?” Jane asked, stepping in between the two of them. “Please?”  
  
The two of them backed off, finally taking a few breaths.  
  
“Are you sure he can fly the ship?” Mierin asked, arms folded across her chest.  
  
“Joker’s tougher than he looks.” His mandibles flared into a small smile. “Go make sure everything's in order.”  
  
Mierin went back to work and they went and found Joker sitting in the doorway to the drive core, head leant back resting against metal wall. Eyes finally focusing on the Commander as he stepped in front of him.  
  
“You left us out here, just sitting ducks for the Collectors.” The pilot said.   
  
“I know.”  
  
“They took everyone.”  
  
“I know.” He repeated. “I’m sorry, Jeff.”  
  
“No I’m - ” Joker groaned as he leant forward. “I’m sorry, Commander.”  
  
“It wasn’t anyone's fault, certainly not yours.” The turian said, himself and Jane leaning down to gently pull Joker to his feet. “Anything broken?”  
  
“Ugh, don’t give me that look.” Joker grimaced. “I’m fine. I’m good. Let’s go save the day.”  
  
EDI wasn’t so willing to let it go. “You may have suffered a number of stress fractures, Jeff.” She countered.  
  
“That’s what the pills Jane’s going to grab for me from the med bay are for.” He replied with a grin at the other human.   
  
“Do you want the good ones, or the _really_ good ones?” Shepard asked, arm wrapping around his shoulders.   
  
“Just the good ones, the others make me drowsy.”

_\-------------------------_

  
  
_“There it is! That’s the Conduit!” Tali cried from the back as they came to the head of the sloping ruins, the blue glow of the tiny relay bright in the distance._   
  
_“We don’t have much time.” Garrus gripped his hands tight on the wheel and hit the accelerator. “Shepard, Tali - reroute all power to the shields and the engines! Then you hold the fuck on.”_   
  
_His two team members quickly rerouted all the power they could as the mako tore down the hill._   
  
_Shepard looked from the armatures they were dodging and back to the Commander, his eyes set on their target, feet moving between the accelerator and the thrusters as they half few over another geth._   
  
_“Garrus.” Shepard warned from beside him as the conduit started to flicker. She held her breath as the mako lunged towards the relay._   
  
_They had all heard Tali talk about her people and culture, but none of them had heard an expression of faith from her before. The last thing the team heard as they hurtled towards the relay was one last prayer from the qurarian._   
  
_“-and let us see the dawn. Keelah se’lai”_   
  
_With a flash of blue light they were gone._

_\-------------------------_

  
  
_“Brace for deceleration.”_  
  
“Oh _shit._ ”  
  
Garrus just managed to grab the railing beside him as the ship decelerated and shifted violently to the left, the feeling of ship accelerating again upwards before it finally evened out.   
  
_“That was way too close.”_ Joker said back to him.  
  
“No kidding.” He replied, bringing up the video feeds from the front of the ship, all the debris around them coming up on the sensors beside it. “I’m guessing these are all the ships that have tried to get through.”  
  
 _“Some of them look ancient.”_  
  
" _I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disk_."  EDI announced after a moment. Bringing up her scans on the main interface.   
  
“That has to be the Collector base.” Garrus said, the resemblance to their smaller ships was uncanny. “Bring us in for a better look, nice and quiet Joker.”  
  
The Normandy's trajectory steered towards the large structure, The ship running silent for a few good minutes before the alarms rang out. “We’ve got Company.”  
  
 _“Engaging evasive maneuvers. ”_  
  
 _“Javelins at the ready, Joker.”_ Shepard informed him from the battery.  
  
“Shielding is holding.” Garrus said. “Rerouting non-critical systems to the barriers.”  
  
 _“Let’s take these bastards out EDI.”_  
  
The Normandy swung around again, the Javelins firing and destroying the sentries on their tails as Joker turned back around on them.  
  
Just as the ship evened out again the EDI brought up the larger interface of the Normandy. _“We have a breach in the cargo hold.”_ She indicated.   
  
“I’ll go deal with it, keep them off us Joker.”  
  
His XO stepped up to take over as he pulled out his rifle, heading straight into the elevator. 

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“Fire the Thanix.”  
  
There were no complications this time as the stream of energy shot out, causing a massive breach in the Collector ships hull. Triumphant cries of victory sounding out from the crew and engineering decks aside Jokers yell of _“How do you like that, you sons of bitches!”_  
  
“Get in and finish them off.” Spirits, he’d been waiting too long to say that.   
  
_“Hold on everyone, it’s gonna be a wild ride.”_ Joker called as he dodged another beam from the ship, speeding in past it and sending another fire of the Thanix straight into the heart of the ship, the subsequent explosion rocking the Normandy and sending their mass effect field generators offline.  
  
“EDI!” Garrus yelled as he and Joker tried to get the systems to back online.  
  
 _“Generators are unresponsive. All hands brace for impact.”_  
  
The ship groaned around them as it hit the top of the base, screeched and finally sliding to a halt.   
  
“Joker.” Garrus yelled down the CIC and he got back up, offering Mierin a hand as he passed her.   
  
“I think I broke a rib.” The pilot groaned as they entered the cockpit. “Or all of them.”  
  
 _“Multiple core systems overloaded during impact, it will take time to restore functionality.”_ EDI updated them.   
  
“We knew this might be a one way trip.” Mierin said from beside him.  
  
“It’s not over yet.” Garrus countered. “Is the ship safe here?”  
  
 _“There are no internal security systems present.”_  
  
“ _And if we’re lucky, their external sensors were knocked out like ours_.” Joker added. “ _They probably won’t be able to tell we’re even here_.”  
  
“Alright.” Garrus exhaled, “You two work on getting the ship back online, EDI - call everyone to the comm room.”

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
The thirteen of them piled around the conference table, analysing the base schematics before them and throwing out suggestions.    
  
 _“It should be possible to overload their systems if you get to the main control center.”_ EDI told them, highlighting it on the interface.   
  
“And that means going through the heart of the station.” Trenus said, pulling up the visualisation of the central chamber.   
  
“Which is where they’re probably keeping our crew, if their smaller ships are anything to go by.” Garrus said. “We’ve got two main routes through.”  
  
Trenus activated his omni-tool once more, highlighting the paths. “We could split up, keep them off balance and regroup at the top.” He suggested.  
  
“Won’t work.” Shepard cut in.   
  
“Look at those doors.” Mierin concurred. “You need someone to open them from the other side.”   
  
“This vent.” Garrus brought up a moment later. “Shutdown the system, get the doors open.”   
  
Mierin shook her head. “It won’t exactly be the most hospitable environment.”  
  
“Unless the environment doesn’t affect you.” Garrus said with a grin, turning to the last edition to their team. “Think you can hack it in time, Legion.”  
  
The geth nodded. “Yes, Vakarian-Commander.”  
  
“The rest of us will break up into teams, keep them distracted long enough for Legion to hack the doors.” Garrus continued. “Shepard will be leading the second fire team.”  
  
The human looked over at him in surprise, swallowing back her objections before she replied. “We’ll meet you on the other side of the doors, Commander.”  
  
“Then let’s go show them what we’re made of.”

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“Commander!” Shepard tried again. “Garrus, god _damnit_.” She swore, giving the order for the biotics to let off another wave to knock the Collectors back, they were completely pinned down.   
  
“Grunt get your ass back into cover before I put it there.” She practically screamed at the krogan.   
  
“We can’t keep this up much longer.” Mierin yelled to her.  
  
“We going to have to.” She yelled back, throwing another wave of biotics out. “Commander. Do you read me - come on Garrus.”  
  
 _“I read you.”_ He finally responded. _“What’s your position?”_  
  
“We’re outside the door, pinned down by heavy fire.”  
  
“ _We’re coming - Hold on._ ”  He replied. “ _Get this door open!_ ” She heard him yell.  
  
“Door is opening.” She announced to her team. “Everyone behind me goes first.” She nodded to Mierin and Jack, the three of them throwing up the biggest barriers they could muster.   
  
“Go!” She ordered as the door hissed open behind them. taking only seconds to make sure they were in suppressing fire surrounding them as the pushed the biotics back, backing in last heself.   
  
“Seal the doors!” Garrus called to Legion who was now at the controls as they kept the suppressing fire going.   
  
Shepard stumbled back as the doors sealed shut, the impact of a stray bullet shattering what was left of her shields and hitting her abdomen, the turians at her side catching her. She looked down at the the wound, vaguely recognising the sound of her own name being called.   
  
“I’m good.” She said, getting them to let her go. “It’s just a graze.”  
  
She flashed their Commander a smile and grabbed a medi-gel to appease them as they all took a moment to breathe and asses the next step.

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“It’s-”  
  
“A Reaper.” Garrus finished for her. “They’re building a new Reaper.”  
  
The metal creature looked like someone hadn’t been able to decide on what their new monster would look like, familiar features present on it - but not looking like anything in particular.   
  
“ _The liquid tubes are a distinct structural weakness._ ” EDI informed them as the data fed through to her. “ _Destroying them should cause the structure to fall_.”  
  
“And we’ve got incoming.” Mierin called all of them ducking behind cover as more Collector troops came to stop them.  
  
“The shielding on the tubes is timed.” Shepard pointed out as she got another look.   
  
“Count it down.” Garrus told her, knocking another collector off the platform. The three of them pulling out to fire on the tubes as Shepard timed the shot, destroying all four in two quick successions of fire.   
  
That was far too easy, Garrus thought, pushing it to the back of his mind as they finished off the last of the Collectors.   
  
“Vakarian to ground Team, do you read me.” The two women heard Garrus call as they leant over the edge, checking if what was left of the creature was still down there.   
  
“- and prep the engines, we’re about to overload this place and blow it sky high.” They caught the end of what he was saying to Joker before he pulled the main control console from the platform.  
  
“Commander, there’s a signal incoming from the Spectre.” Mierin said as her omni-tool flashed, a hologram of the turian appearing from the glowing interface.  
  
“ _Vakarian._ ” The Spectre said. “ _I am looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. It appears a timed radiation pulse will kill the remaining Collectors and leave the base intact. You will setup the pulse_.”  
  
Garrus looked back at him in disbelief. “I won’t be.”  
  
“ _Don’t be a fool Vakarian -_ ”   
  
“I am not leaving this here for you to harvest, Spectre.” He turned back, setting up the charges in the console.   
  
“Mierin.” The Spectre yelled, looking back at the woman. “Do not let him destroy the base.”  
  
The turian noticed that the Commanders eyes were not on her as he continued to work.  
  
But Shepards were.   
  
“Or _what_?” She asked.   
  
_“I gave you an Order!”_  
  
“And I am done taking them.” Mierin replied. “Consider this my resignation.”  
  
“ _You -_ ”  
  
She cut the call. The smile on her team mates face contagious. “Thank fuck.” Shepard said. “I really didn’t want to shoot you.”  
  
“I really didn’t want you to try.” Mierin grinned back as their Commander sealed the control console back down.   
  
“Let’s move.” Garrus said to them. “We’ve got about ten minutes before this place blows.”  
  
The platform began to shake again, The three of them turning back around to see the unformed reaper they’d just downed  to be hanging off the platform, its three eyes glowing red as it was very much alive.   
  
“I’m going to have nightmares for the rest of my _life_.” Jane said, throwing all the biotics she could as it fired down onto them.   
  
“We’re not going to have a life  if we don’t get out of here soon.” Mierin reminded her as the took cover once more.  
  
“Next time it comes up, grenades right to the eyes.” Garrus ordered, pulling the large particle beam from his back. “And we’re going to send it back down.”  
  
The tactic was effective, even with the few Collectors flying onto the platform slowing them down, after a few repeat rounds the Reapers eyes exploded, sending a chain reaction down its structure and sending it crashing back, tipping the platforms as it hit them on the way down.   
  
Their feet slipped from under them, Mierin and garrus up near the edge managed to grab a hold of the edge, but Jane, ahead of them was sent sliding down the vertically turned platform.   
  
Garrus launched himself after her, eyes locked on the others hands and they tried to grab a hold of each other. They missed twice before she fell over the edge, Garrus managing to catch her arm at the last moment before the reaper exploded below the platform, launching it back the other way allowing him to pull her back up.   
  
Mierin pulled them both towards her as the regrouped. “Hold on!” She said, pulling up a biotic barrier as another platform collided with them.

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
Garrus could feel something heavy on his chest as he finally came to, momentarily struggling with the large piece of the metal that had landed on him  before he pushed it off, quickly getting to his feet.   
  
The first one he spotted was Shepard to his left. She wasn’t moving.  
  
“Jane” Garrus called. skidding back down on his knees as he pulled her over. Her eyes fluttering open as he jolted her awake.   
  
“Feel like I got hit with a skycar” She muttered as he pulled her to her feet. “Where is - fuck.”  
  
The both dashed over to the other side of the platform, pulling the heavy panel off Mierin as she began to stir, getting her to her feet as Joker’s voice cracked over their ear pieces.   
  
_“-ommander.”_ They could hear. _“Do you copy? Come on, don’t leave me hanging Commander.”_  
  
“We’re here Joker.” Garrus replied. “Is everyone on board?”  
  
 _“Everyone, and I mean everyone is on board - we’re just waiting on you.”_  
  
“Run!” He yelled to the two women at the sight of more seeker swarms and Collectors coming their way. They bolted for the gaping tunnel ahead of them, their shields taking the hits from the Collectors flying in to stop their advancement.   
  
The Normandy came into sight immediately as they reached the outside, the side air lock opening to reveal Trenus and Zaeed offering what covering fire they could.   
  
“Get onto the ship!” Garrus yelled again, continuing his own fire on approaching Collectors as the other two ran forward, jumping up into airlock.  
  
He went to follow as they knocked the Collectors back, taking and even bigger leap as the connecting platform fell below, just managing to hook his hands onto the edge of the airlock, feeling himself being pulled in not a moment later.  
  
“Tell Joker to go!”   
  
_“Detonation in ten, nine, eight-”_  
  
Garrus was pulled up as they all raced back into the cockpit, Joker already flying them through the debris as the shockwaves of the exploding Collector base behind them rocked the ship.   
  
_“Hold on everyone.”_ Joker said as the ship sped up, the familiar sensation of the Normandy engaging a relay as they escaped the last of the explosion, the familiar sight of the Sahrabarik system greeting them as they ship slowed back down to a normal speed.  
  
“You, Jeff.” Garrus said to the pilot as he walked up beside the relieved man at the helm. “Are the best damn pilot in the galaxy.”  
  
“Well I _knew_ that.” He said, the biggest damn grin on his face Garrus had ever seen. “But it’s nice to hear it every once in awhile.”  
  
Behind them Shepard leant back against the nearest surface she could find. They were all still alive, they had done what no one else had before (again) and had lived to tell about it.   
  
She pulled her hand away from the spot she’d taken a hit in earlier, releasing all that red covering her hand was hers. Maybe it wasn’t just a flesh wound after all.  
  
She smiled to herself as she slid to the floor.  
  
No one had died.   



	10. Chapter 10

  
Garrus hadn’t realised he’d fallen asleep until he felt the fingers gently running across the top of his fringe that roused him.  
  
“Hey.” Jane greeted him with a grin. “You know you have a perfectly good bed upstairs, right?”  
  
“I didn’t intend to fall asleep.” He told her. taking her hand in his own.  
  
“I hadn't intended to get into be laid up in the damn medbay again - and don’t give me that look.” She said, cutting of the lecture she was about to get. “My barriers did take most of the shot. It was the almost falling to my fiery death that pushed it over the edge, I think.”  
  
“That was... too close.”  
  
“The entire scenario was a case of too close.” Jane said. “How’s everyone doing?” She asked, looking to the sleeping turian in the other bed.  
  
“She’s fine, but they’ve put her under sedation to make sure she can heal for a while first.” Garrus answered, looking to Mierin. “Tali had a few suit punctures, Mordin loaded her up on Spirits know what and she’s sleeping downstairs. Everyone else is mostly a bunch of bruises and cuts.”  
  
She sighed and leant back against her pillow, eyes closing once more. “That’s amazing.”  
  
“Go back to sleep.” He said, pushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. “Mordin’ll be by the prod you in a little while.”  
  
“Mmhm.” She mumbled as the sedatives kicked back in.  
  
He left her to rest, going to check on a few more things before the ship was alive with activity again.

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
The Normandy was still in a mild state of disarray come the day shift. Mordin and Chakwas were still busy in the med bay, everyone else was scattered around the ship, fixing what they could as quickly as they could do it as they made for the Citadel for full repairs.  
  
Garrus had taken up helping out in the cargo bay after being unceremoniously kicked out of the medbay again when Joker called him over the intercom. “Commander, you’ve got a call from your favourite ex-boss in the comm room, you want me to lose it?”  
  
Garrus didn’t need to look up to know that every pair of eyes in the bay was staring intently at him for his answer. “No, I’ll take it.” He called back, heading back towards the elevator.  
  
“And when I do, Joker.” He added, activating the comms once again as the elevator began to move. “I want you to broadcast it to the entire ship.”  
  
“You sure about that?” The pilot asked again.  
  
“They deserve to know.”  
  
The comm cut out this time and Jokers voice could be heard ringing out through the entire ship as Garrus hit the CIC. “ _I hope you’re all ready for a show_.”

 

_\-------------------------_

  
  
“Vakarian.” Garrus took the slightest bit of joy in finally seeing the Spectre angry. _Really_ angry. “You are making a habit of costing me more than just time and money.” The other turian spat.  
  
“Sorry, what was that?” Garrus feigned in reply. “I’m getting a lot of bullshit on this line.”  
  
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The Spectre snarled. “The technology from that base was unparalleled.”  
  
“It was an _abomination_.” He said, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice. “I wasn’t about to let the fear of the Reapers turn us into something just as twisted.”  
  
The Spectre narrowed his eyes at him. “It would have secured our place in the galaxy against any threat.”  
  
“Our place?” The Commander questioned. “Or just Cerberus?”  
  
“We are the future of the galaxy.” The Spectre said. “And you were clearly a costly mistake.”  
  
Garrus gave him one last smirk. “Lose this channel, Joker.”  
  
He stepped out of the holographic interface for the last time, Joker speaking to him once more.  
  
“ _He’s going to be gunning for you next, Commander._ ”  
  
“I would be disappointed if he wasn’t.” Garrus replied, heading back to the CIC and asking Joker to call everyone to the mess.  
  
Within minutes they had all piled onto the crew deck, the mess going silent as their Commander entered, making his way to the front and looking out to the tired faces of both turians and aliens alike.  
  
For one moment he sees a face at the back he hasn’t seen for a long time.  
  
She smiles.  
  
He blinks again and she’s gone.  
  
“Here’s the part where you make a choice.”  


_\-------------------------_

  
  
_“Hey, Commander?”_ _Garrus looked up to the human across from him as she started taking apart another gun.  “I just.. wanted to say thank you.”_  
  
 _“For what, Williams?” He asked._  
  
 _“Bringing me along.” Ashley said. “I never thought I’d get off garrison ground forces.”_  
  
 _“I must say, I found your service record rather strange.” Garrus admitted. “With the kind of results you have you should have been offered a posting in the Alliance Fleet a long time ago.”_  
  
 _“It’s ...complicated.”_  
  
 _“Come on Williams.” Garrus prodded. “Who’d you piss off?”_  
  
 _“It’s not so much me.” She started tentatively. “As I think it was my Grandfather. He was the General on Shanxi when the first patrols were sent out.”_  
  
 _Much to her relief, the Commander just laughed. “There are a lot of old turians who’re still bitter that your species got the last shot in before the Council intervened. But how does that affect you?”_  
  
 _“He got reassigned from Shanxi just before the end of the ‘First Contract War’” She explained. “Ended up stationed in the ass end of nowhere before he left the military, but we still don’t know why.”_  
  
 _“Was it some kind of appeasement for the patrols?”_  
  
 _“I thought that for a while, but-” Ashley stopped. “Can I tell you something, off the record?”_  
  
 _He motioned for the human to continue as she shifted closer to him._  
  
 _“I only met my grandfather a few times.” She started. “Last time was when I was sixteen - family gathering. I ran into him off by himself outside, he was already pretty drunk by the time I got there, I think.”_  
  
 _“So he calls me over and starts telling me this story - about how he spotted a turian infiltration team on Shanxi while the negotiations were still going on.” She continued. “That he sends in this team of freelancers to find out what they’re doing. Said he never knew what happened to them, and got shipped off world not long after.”_  
  
 _“I’m beginning to see why they wanted him out of the picture.” Garrus pondered. “Something like that would have put a different spin on the outcome.”_  
  
 _“That’s not the only thing though.” Ashley said. “That night he followed them out to the site - it got a little bit disjointed at this point - but he kept going on about this small storm of blue lightning, people getting turned into monsters.I never really thought much of it until we saw those dragons teeth on Eden Prime.”_  
  
 _“There was something there.” Garrus concluded at the anxious look on the humans face. “There’s old technology all over the galaxy, there could have easily been something left there”_  
  
 _“That’s what I’m starting to think.” Ashley whispered, leaning in towards him.  “But what and who was there? That’s what I want to know.”_

 


	11. Epilogue

 

Miranda Lawson made her way briskly through the facility, the click of her heels against the cold white floors the only sound in the echoing down the deserted corridor before she finally found her destination.  
  
The small viewing platform extended out into the open, the the cold air of the planet sending a small chill down her spine as she leant down against the railing next to her associate.  
  
“The Normandy and it’s crew have been confirmed to have completed the mission and returned from the Omega Four Relay. ” Miranda began, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
“Somehow I’m not surprised.” The man replied. “It was Vakarian, after all.”  
  
“That’s not all.” Miranda continued. “They’ve gone rogue, taken the ship. The Spectre will be taking his time, but their apprehension will be made a priority.”  
  
It was then the man finally looked at her, worry written across his face.  
  
“We have to get out, Jacob.” Miranda said, barely above a whisper. “And soon.”

 

 

FIN

 

_(for now)_

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt for this fill was:
> 
> Femshep/Garrus Reversal  
> This anon was considering the Shadow Broker's files on Garrus the other day and how he seems to have come into his own in ME3. There's just something so-- assured about Garrus in ME3. He's rock solid and unflappable. 
> 
> Which made me wonder what the ME world would look like, if Garrus had been the protagonist and Shepard had been the wise-cracking bad ass who had his six and was loyal to the last breath. It's not that far of a stretch. 
> 
> It'd be neat as a full on plot reversal, (who would bring Garrus back from the dead? Would Shep go all Archangel on Omega? Does Garrus get any more smooth when he's making the first moves on her? How would everything play out?) but smaller, less intense fills would be interesting, too.
> 
> Basically, I want to see what Garrus would have done if he'd grown up slightly earlier and was thrust into the ME Protagonist roll. Femshep/Garrus romance, por favor, everything else is negotiable.


End file.
